Blood and Honor: End of all Hope
by Exoitce
Summary: Raised to become a blade, a young man's life is taken away from him before his eyes. Now an outcast, and a criminal, he has no place to go...except...the Dark Brotherhood
1. Chapter 1 In Cold Blood

!-- page size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in P margin-bottom: 0.08in --

I stood in a tableau of a completed horizontal swing of my sword, my katana covered in blood from kissaki to tsuba. My stance was both wide and deep with both hands keeping a steady but loose grip on the handle, just as I was taught. My eyes were focused strait ahead and my face twisted into an expression of anger. My only motion was my breathing, which betrayed my excitement and rage with it's loud, and rapid cycle of huffs and half-grunts that were muffled through my clenched teeth. I had just killed someone...and in their own house.

I held that posture for several seconds trying to calm my body, letting my breathing slow back down and keeping my hands from wanting to tremble. Trying to calm down my entire being was more like it. After a few seconds of not moving I finally stood up from my pose and looked down at the floor in front of me covered in blood. I felt a rush all over my entire body that upset and unbalanced every bit of my mental composure. It felt like I was shaking all over, but when I looked down at my hands still holding my blade...they were steady as a rock. Though I was breathing steadily I felt sick all over, my feet felt so heavy as if I would never move again. My knees, which my mind told me were shaking, were perfectly still, as though I were a tree rooted to the ground. My katana, I knew it as the lightest weapon I had ever held, but in that moment it felt like it weighed a ton.

As I stood there with my mind trying to make sense of what had just happened my gaze shifted from the blood that splattered from my cutting to the twisted body of the imperial man who I had spent the last few seconds cutting down. My mental state suddenly went from excitement and confusion to satisfaction and contentment. I was surprised at how easy it was. It was all over, no more suffering from his personal vendetta, no more abuse from his undeserved power. All the years he made father and I suffer finally came back to leave him in a pool of blood. His punishment was long overdue; no amount of life sentences could add up to the pain that he inflicted on us. He deserved to fall like that, covered in his own blood with a humiliating defeat that only my vengeance could bring upon him. But...somehow, it felt wrong.

I stood there for just a few more seconds to wipe the blood from my katana and then return it to it's sheath on my back. Then I heard footsteps from upstairs...

"Lianis, are you alright? I thought I heard you yell for me." Lianis' wife, Anita, I couldn't let her see me here. Looking up I tracked the sound of her movements above me, I could hear her fumbling around for a candle. Suddenly my calm from the kill shifted to a rushing fear of being caught, I had to act fast. I quickly scanned the room looking for a place to hide. Really I wanted to bolt out the back door as fast as I could but the bottom of the stairs was facing that exact door, there was no way I could make it without her seeing me. So I sprinted as quietly as I could to the small shadowy crevice underneath the stairs and prayed that she didn't want to look my way. I tracked the sound of her footsteps as she approached the top of the stairs, then watched as the light from her candle appear from overhead and cast itself over half of the room. The light didn't reveal Lianis' body yet, but I knew that I had only seconds to decide what to do next. I could have killed her and no one would ever know it was me, but she had never done me any harm, but there is no way that she would feel safe around me if she saw that it was me who did this. I made my decision by the time she reached the bottom of the stairs and waited for her to walk by.

"Lianis did you try mixing your drinks and pass out again?" She asked as she walked by my hiding place. I stood up from my shadowy corner, stepped out into the light behind her holding the grip of my sword, and quietly backed my way to the back door. As soon as she turned the corner all the way to where she disappeared from my sight, I turned around, put my hand on the doorknob and waited.

"LIANIS, BY THE NINE ARE YOU OKAY...LIANIS, GODS HELP US, LIANIS!!"

I used the sound of her blood curling screams to cover up the sound of me turning the knob, and flinging the door open. As I bolted out the door I pulled the knob so that it slammed shut behind me. I quickly scanned the outside world around me, making a full circle as I checked to make sure I was alone. Then I ran into the woods as fast as I could into the blackness of the night.

I don't know how far I ran, or for how long, but it was the fastest I ever ran for so long. I wanted to put as much distance between me and the Venin manor as I could. I ran for what seemed like hours and at a full sprint too. I vaulted over logs higher then myself, ran up hills with a vertical climb and slid down the other side. I even dived over a grizzly bear that I almost didn't see, hitting the ground, tucking into a roll and springing up so fast that I wasn't so sure if it saw me. I never did look back to see if it gave chase, what I was really running from was the feeling that someone has seen everything I did. I kept running until dawn started to break, then I found a brush think enough to hide my entire body and laid down. I listened for about half an hour trying to pick up on any hint that I was followed. Nothing. _Did she see me? No she couldn't have. I made sure of that. But why does it feel like I'm being followed._ I thought to myself for several minutes about what I did before I drifted off to sleep

99999999999999999999999999999999999999  
--

99999999999999999999999999999999999999999

"Dairou, I want to talk to you." My father said to me as I was busy practicing with my bow outside our farmhouse.

"What is it Dad?" I asked him before knocking another arrow and drawing pulling the string back.

"Dairou, it's about Lianis," Right then I wished that he didn't even bother talking to me. "I know that you are not going to like this, but I didn't want to keep it from you any longer."

"What did that cheat do to us now?" I didn't bother hiding my frustration.

"Dairou, I wish that you could control your anger," Father glared at me,"But I understand why you feel the way you do."

His glare shifted to a sympathetic expression. He sat down on a stool a few feet behind me and watched me let another arrow fly.

"I think it would be best if you heard this now instead of finding out later," He went on." Lianis cheated us out of our taxes again"

"What!" I spun around to face him. "Dad, what are you thinking, we can't afford to keep paying him off like this, if he does it again were not going to have enough to eat this year, why don't you just take it to the count." I already knew the answer to that question; we had already tried that, many times in the past. Lianis would somehow come up with forged documents saying that we didn't pay, and we would be threatened with fines and jail again.

Lianis worked for the count, he was his steward. Most of all the financial work went through him; he collected the taxes and took census every year. But he also had something against us that I could never truly understand. Every chance he had he would make us pay at least twice as much as we owed in taxes every year. Father had told me that in the past Lianis had a grudge against him for things that had happened between the two of them, and that this was just Lianis' way of getting revenge.

"You know that it'll catch up to him sooner or later, he's done this to us every year and when he is found out, he will have to pay us back everything, and that would be a huge payout!" He replied to me with a little mischievous grin. Father was trying to sway me with the thought of the count figuring out Lianis' scheme in due time, he had always taught me patience and that every man's actions are returned to him in the same manner he is deserved. I used to think that meant that we could be left alone, or that we would somehow be given a huge fortune for our suffering. But right about then it seemed more like we were paying dearly for mistakes we had yet to make.

My Father and I lived on a farmhouse just on the outskirts of Kvatch. We grew vegetables for the chapel, who in turn would distribute them to the town. In return for our labors we were given enough money to live comfortably throughout the year until the next harvest. I had known this simple lifestyle alongside preparations for the life of a moth priest, or blade, either way was my choosing. I was trained by my father in the ways of the Akaviri sword and marital arts styles that were passed down from generation to generation by the monks and blades of the empire. The blades were a group of warriors who worked for the empire in total secrecy, they were a mysterious group whose actions were almost never really known to the general public. I was training to be such a warrior. My father would have been a moth priest if it weren't for my birth, as the Temple of the Moth priests weren't allowed to ever be in wedlock and were not allowed to have any children, legitimate or otherwise.

Both my parents came from Chorral, but my father had relations with a young woman during his teenage years and it led ultimately to my birth. At first Jauffre, the Matriarch of the temple at Weynon Priory was furious, but my father promised to atone for his disgrace by raising me to be in service to the empire. So truly I was an illegitimate son who was raised with a noble purpose. Some would see it as being cruel to me since I was basically paying for my father's sins, but truly to me it was an honor where in any other place I would have been sent to an orphanage or a sanitarium. I was being trained as a blade and a priest, I was being given an important place in the empire's history. So for my life as a farmer and a monk growing up I was truly grateful.

"Dad" I replied with a softening tone. "How much are we going to endure before he's caught, we've already given the better part of my lifetime to him, what if he tries to get in the way of my priesthood?"

"You know that he won't, as long as we just do things as we have been we'll be fine." He was talking about my training in secret. "You have but one more year and you'll be far away from this"

"Dad, but what about you, are you just going to stay here?" I asked him, this was my final year in training as a blade squire, next year I would be taken away to live with the blades at Cloud Ruler Temple.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about Dairou" His face went from a smile to a frown slowly as he struggled to find the words to speak again.

"What?" I asked

"Dairou," He stood up, his movements showing the first signs of old age as he did. He put a hand on my shoulder and slowly opened his mouth to speak again. "I'm dying."

9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

--

999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

This is my first Fanfic ever, I'm still new to the very idea of fanfictions but Oblivion was an awesome canvas for me to work from, so any and all reviews would be appreciated. I did leave some details vague in this first chapter to help out with the story. What does not make sense here will come together in future chapters.

Edit about a year or two later

Alright, I've finally edited this first chapter for spelling mistakes, there, happy!? No more critques on spelling mistakes until you've read all the way up to the most recent chapter, this is a contract you sign by going to chapter two, got it? Good! Now enjoy the story for what it is, you can pick it apart later.


	2. Chapter 2 Rude Awakening

I wasn't sure how long I slept; it could have been several days, or only a few hours. Truly it didn't matter to me, but the cool morning air was a refreshing feeling that made me glad I didn't sleep to miss it. I took a moment to take in the sensation before finally opening my eyes. I welcomed the view of the trees from the forest floor; the crises-crossing pattern of various branches and leaves was a beautiful juxtaposition of browns and greens with the blurry orange of the sky as it transitioned from night to dawn. I wanted to stay there in that moment forever, I felt like I could live the rest of my life staring at such an abstract painting of nature.

Unfortunately my daydream was cut short by the sound of a twig breaking somewhere around me. I quickly snapped back to reality and was suddenly fully alert. I slowly turned my head trying not to make any noise while listening for any more movement. For several seconds I heard nothing, then a small bit of swishing gave away the presence of whatever was nearby. Quietly I rolled over and sat up to face the direction of the noise while gripping the hilt of my katana, and started to wait. Whatever it was didn't want to be heard, but it was doing a horrible job of hiding its steps. I was crouched below the level of the tall grass which was about waist height. I heard another step from somewhere on the other side of me, a little bit heavier this time. I wanted to stand up and see what it was, but the thought of the bear from before tracking me down made me think twice. I started to hear more rustling all around me. I began to panic, I was not in any shape to run since I was still somewhat tired from my rest and my legs were starting to cramp.

For several seconds I contemplated the thought of breaking into a run until I caught movement off the corner of my eye, I quickly turned my head to see whatever it was, then cursed myself for moving so fast. I could barely make out the shape of a humanoid body several yards away holding a bow of some sort. I squinted for a moment but couldn't tell for sure if it was human, all I could tell was that it was not pointing at me. I felt a tiny feeling of hope that I had not been seen yet.

It began to move again making more noise this time, more movement off the corner of my eye. This time it was much more subtle. I slowly turned my head to my right to see what else was here; it was a deer, a buck to be precise. I could see its outline clearly through the grass, its muzzle scraping the ground as it chewed on some apples that were scattered around. _Someone's hunting._ I thought to myself. Suddenly I heard more rustling behind me. Feeling a huge wave of relief that I had run into people again I slowly turned around to see the third source of noise. What I saw made me almost jump out of my skin. There, not more then four feet away and in plain sight was the pale and menacing beast I had come to know over the years as a goblin.

Its big black eyes were fixated on the buck, its body, though mostly hidden I could still tell was crouched one knee the same way I was. I had a clear and unobstructed view of its ugly head. Somehow it had not seen me, but all it had to do was turn it's head to change that. My heart started racing, it beat so fast that I began to fear that my pulse alone would be loud enough to give me away. Suddenly I realized that the soft footsteps that I had been hearing all around me belonged to a goblin hunting party, so the figure with a bow must have been one too. They had unknowingly surrounded me while hunting for their next meal. I had to think fast.

_They want the deer, let them have it. Just please don't let this one see me._ I begged and pleaded in my mind with every deity I could think of to let my presence remain hidden. I had fought goblins before. They weren't the best fighters in the world; in fact they were the worst. But they always traveled in groups of at least three, and they weighed three times as much as any human. They didn't need agility or skill when they had strength in numbers, and they would overwhelm you due to their relentless nature in battle. I had taken them on in groups of no more then two before with help from father, but right then I was alone and still tired from waking up, I know that there were at least two, but that only meant that there was at least one more that I had not seen yet. I would not survive with these odds.

In super slow motion I started to lower myself even closer to the ground. I tried to keep from making any sudden movements that would catch the eye of the hunter goblin. When I was finally low on all fours I started to reach my right foot outward to sidestep, I was planning on circling the beast to it's backside to escape. But then it hit me that I forgot to check the spot that my foot was going land on. I held my foot about an inch off the ground for a moment; I slowly shifted my gaze from the goblin's head to my foot. There were several dead leaves right underneath it. For the second time I cursed my foolishness, then I slowly looked back up to make sure that the goblin didn't catch me off guard. Be it fatigue, bad luck, stress, or outright stupidity, somehow I lost my balance as I looked back up and ended up dropping my foot onto the dead leaves.

The crunch under my foot seemed to echo throughout the entire forest in my mind. I knew the goblin heard me; there was no way that any creature short of being deaf could have not perceived my mistake. My heart seemed to stop; my breath came to a halt, my eyes widened. To my surprise the goblin didn't look at me, instead it froze in place exactly like I did. Then I heard the deer take off into the woods just out of my field of vision.

The goblin let out a high pitched shriek, leaped over the level of grass and gave chase to its would-be prey. As soon as it moved I rolled into the ideal spot it had just left and sprang to my feet. I stood up and watched as both of them disappeared into the forest after the buck. Breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed a little.

_Wait! That was only two-_

Suddenly I heard a goblin war cry from behind me that made me spin around and duck. While instinctively throwing up my hands to protect myself I felt a heavy object slam into the palms of my hands. I found myself staring into the face of another member of the goblin hunting party. It just stared at me dumbfounded in surprise for catching its club in mid-strike. I quickly took advantage of the moment by pushing the club aside, leaned in close and spit in its eye. It let out a high pitched shriek of surprise dropping its weapon and stumbled backwards. To keep my momentum going I stepped forward, grabbed its shoulders and kicked it in the groin. As it doubled over I grabbed its head and pulled my leg back.

CRACK!

I drove my knee into his face with every bit of the two hundred pounds that made up my being, although I knew that with my training I had hit with at least five times as much force as I weighed. I must have busted several of the blood vessels in his face because when he hit the ground his face was covered in crimson. He grabbed his throat and started cough. _Must have driven some teeth down his windpipe. _I thought to myself as I drew my katana from my back. With both hands I whirled it around to invert the grip and with a mighty kiai I brought it straight down into the goblin's chest so hard that I went down to one knee. It let out a loud squeal of pain that reminded me of the pigs my father and I used to raise for food back home. I gave a final twist for extra measure that caused him to let out a final cry of pain, death, and defeat that echoed for miles. I stood in that position for several seconds in a sort of silent victory pose. Then I placed one foot on my fallen foe's chest and pulled my blade, with a sickening scrape it came out covered in blood. In an almost ceremonial manner I flicked most of the blood off with a single snap of my wrist and pulled out a crimson cloth from my pocket. I then held up the sword horizontally in front of me and starting from the tsuba I wiped the rest of the blood from my blade in a single stroke. Sheathing it on my back I couldn't help but think to myself, _Father would have been proud, _as I folded the crimson cloth and stowed it away in my pocket.

I wanted to take a moment to take in my victory, but I didn't want to take the chance of getting caught when the hunting party came looking for their straggler. So I turned south and started walking, hoping that I would run into a road of some sort.

--

Several hours later I was at an inn at the halfway point between Anvil and Kvatch, lying on a bed, face up, staring at the ceiling in the room I had rented for the night. I had wandered somewhere north of Kvatch, and made it to the road I was hoping for. After that morning's incident with the goblins I wanted to avoid anything else that nature had in store for me. That was just way too close. I thought about how Father and I would have taken them down quickly.

I was going over the incident over and over in my head. I had been blessed with a lucky break considering where I had ended up. I tried to imagine what Father would have said if he had gotten the chance to tell him about my rude awakening.

"We'll you at least proved that it was a boy!" He would say as he laughed. He would have poked fun at me for it, and then he would go to town and tell about my ordeal. Half the town would probably not believe him; the other half would think it was just a great story and not really care if it really happened. I know that such talk would have Quill-Weave's attention; she would have come all the way from Anvil just to have me tell her the story. Then she would write about it in one of her books. Father would have been proud of me for that too. Despite the fact that it was mere luck he would have told the story as if I killed goblins for fun.

Thinking about him brought a tear to my eye and a lump began to from in my throat. I missed him so much; it was way too soon for me to have to start living life without him. I began to feel like there was no more reason to live. I was so used to always having a place to live, a place that I could come home to. There was no other place in all of Tamriel that I could truly call home. All my life the farm was the home that I always knew, Father was always waiting for me with open arms whenever I returned home from my annual trips to Weynon Priory for additional training from Jauffre. But now I had lost the only family that I ever had growing up.

I closed my eyes tightly as the tears rolled down the side of my face. I was trying to not to think about what now waited for me back home, but I didn't have a whole lot to do and the past few days events had consumed me. I began to wonder what would become of our old farmhouse then, who would be there if I came back. Probably guards posted to catch me if I was too homesick to stay away; maybe a Venin son looking over the house and sneering at our modest home, the Venin family was too proud to acknowledge those who supported them.

I began to realize why killing Lianis did me no good. His family was greedy, his lifestyle was revolting, but I had given up the last possible chance I had at starting over by killing him. I could have sorted things out with the count; I could have talked to Savlian Matius. He would have looked into things for me; he could have at least done something. But now I realize that I had ruined it all. All for the sake of the satisfaction of revenge, I still did not feel completely satisfied. Even though I had taken his life, there was nothing beyond that, there was nothing I could do to set things right. Instead I had only made it worse.

Even more tears gathered around the corner of my eyes as I let it all sink in. I began to wonder if that is what Lianis had wanted all along, to cause me to bring about my own downfall. Where he couldn't touch me, he could pick on me in my weakest state. He must have wanted me to snap. Knowing that in my discipline was weak for that moment; he played on my youthful impulses. I realized that in what I had done, he had won. I felt like I was defeated. If Lianis' dying wish was to take from me what he had no right to touch, he got it.

I slowly began to cry myself to sleep, I had no real plans for the next morning, but I would get to that later. I just wanted to rest, with my thoughts for the night. I wanted to be by myself.

--

Requiem

I stared at my farther in disbelief for almost a full minute.

"What?" I asked in a soft tone of voice. "You're..." Even though I tried to speak my words came out muddled. I couldn't believe what he had just told me.

"I didn't stutter Dairou, you heard me perfectly." His tone of voice was now firm. "I'm dying."

I still stood there in disbelief with father just staring at me. When I could finally brake the trance I was trapped in I turned away and stared at ground ahead of me. After a few more seconds I finally turned around and faced him.

"When did you find out?" I asked him.

"Today," He answered "I visited the healer today, and she said that I have but a few months left to live." He turned and sat back down.

"What are you dying from?" I asked him, but truly I didn't want to know.

"It's deterioration, that's why I have been struggling so much. That's why I couldn't teach you as well anymore. it's been weakening my heart all this time." He explained, it seemed like my mind was rejecting everything that he was telling me. I started to feel like I was in a dream, like he wasent really dying and that I was going to wake up with him being his old self.

"Is there anything we can do?" I started to fight back tears as I asked.

"Martin said that he was going to send word to Jauffre," He finally looked up at me, he could tell just by looking at me that I was fighting what he was telling me. "He could find something that would help."

He tried to keep me from breaking down, but he knew that it wasn't working. He could see the tears start to swell up in my eyes. I dropped my bow on the ground by accident, we both just turned to look at it . I didn't feel the urge to pick it back up, instead I just let my gaze rest softly on it I tried to distract my mind by trying to contemplate weather dad was waiting for me to pick it up, but my thoughts just couldn't leave the confusion that my mind was stricken with.

"Father," I finally said without looking up "Please, tell me your lying..." I closed my eyes tightly causing two tears to fall from my eyes.

I heard him take a deep breath, get up, and walk into the house. For several minutes I kept trying to take in what father had told me. For several months Father had been slowing down, he was only thirty eight and he was showing signs of being fifty eight. At first he was too proud to admit that something was wrong due to his pride. He would have trouble getting up in the morning, if he wasn't oversleeping he was too cramped to move, his steps would get heavier as if he were carrying more then his own body weight. He would forget things that happened several minutes ago but after a few days it was as if it just happened. He would repeat himself several times during a conversation, and when I would repeat to him what he just told me he would be confused. When I asked him if he was alright he would say that he felt fine, but it felt more like he was trying to say it more to himself then me. I had finally gotten him to go to a healer the previous day. I was dreading the news but we needed to know what was wrong. My first true step to becoming a blade priest was approaching, and I wanted Father to be there when I would go to Cloud ruler temple.

Deterioration was a disease that weakened a person in body and spirit, causing them to age faster almost instantly. I never really understood it, in fact no one did. But I heard that there were healers all over Tamrial working on a cure. It's name changed depending on what version you had. In Vvardenfell it was most often the "Soul Sickness", but that would give a person nightmares and delusions making them eventually go insane. In some way I was thankful that my father didn't get the worse case, but I still didn't feel any better because of the mistake we had made of putting it off.

A few minutes later Father came out of the house with a scroll in his hand.

"I don't know how much longer I have left, so I drew up a will." He said as he sat back down on the stool again. "In case something happens to me, I want you to have this farm"

He offered me the scroll, which I accepted.

To whom it may concern

I Hiryu Dikata hearby leave every aspect of my legacy to my son Dairou Dikata. Namely the following. The Farmhouse known as Dikata Farm, north of Kvatch, including all land, tools, weapons, clothing, food, equipment, livestock, money, books, and any other properity currently owned by me. No stipulations of any kind legal or otherwise, no disputes shall be heard, no hearings, and no audiance with a probate court is needed. The moment of my death everything of mine is to be aknowledged as it belongs to my son Hiryu Dikata.

--Hiryu Dikata

Witness: Brother Martin of the Monks of the Chapel of Akatosh of Kvatch.

I smiled as another tear rolled down my cheek, though I could easily tell that it was not a very proffessional document I almost felt proud. I looked up at him from the will when I was done reading. He didn't wait for me to respond.

"I wanted to go back to Weynon Priory when you left, but I see that I might not get that chance, what you do with the farm after I die does not matter to me, you can keep it, sell it. You can even give away for all I care. But just don't let Lianis use it to harass you." He went on. "When you go to train at Weynon Priory, I want you take a letter to Jauffre for me. I don't know if I would survive the trip with you, so I am leaving my parting words to him in a letter. Also, I want you to make sure you don't let Lianis have your blade, he would use it as some sort trophy to feel like he has finally did all he could to us. He knows that it means a lot to me that in your hands, and it would be his ultimate triumph to take it from you."

"But Dad," I interrupted. "You always told me to never give up your life for something so replaceable."

"That I did," He responded with a smile. "But keep in mind that material symobls can mean a lot to people. To him, your sword is a prize that he would sell his soul to the lowest of the low just to take from you, right in front of me. A katana is a very uncommon sight you see, yours is a rare masterpiece that many would spend lifetimes searching for and never find an equal. Ever since he first started his vendetta, I have had your sword, even before you were born. To even be able to use it properly speaks volumes of a warriors skill. Should you ever walk through a town while openly carrying it, you would become the subject of every conversation as you pass. Very few have the courage to openly challenge anyone who wields one such as yours, for an Akaviri Katana is made for it's purpose far better then any other sword ever made, forged, or folded. Far better then the crude excuses for for a weapon that guards or bandits carry."

I contemplated his speech for a moment.

"So Lianis has been greedy for this the whole time. Is that why he hates you?" I finally responded

"Not just that," He lowered his head and took a deep breath. "I have waited for years, to tell you this. I wanted to make sure that you were old enough, and your discipline was unshakeable. But it looks like don't have the time to wait that long."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" I asked with a little sarcasm, but I understood what he ment. He knows that I would kill Lianis in a heartbeat if I could get away with it, and that was proof that I needed more training spiritually. I knew that I was capable of making mistakes out of poor judgement and pride. But I suddebly became afraid that whatever he was about to tell me was going to test my resolve.

"The truth about your mother." As he said that, my eyes widened. All my life I was told that my mother had died at childbirth. But really not much more. I had accepted that growing up, I was afraid of what I was going to hear. "She died at your birth, that much is true. But the real reason why he has made it his life to make us suffer is because of things that took place long before your birth."

I was in shock, I had always thought that Lianis was just a cruel greedy old man who liked to push everyone around that he could. But I because to understand why I wasent to hear what I was being told now until I was older.

"Your mother was forced into an arranged marriage by her parnents that she didn't want to accept." He began "When she ran away, she ran to Weynon Priory and claimed sanctuary to escape the nuptuals that she hated so bad."

"You don't mean?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Yes, your mother ran away to escape the wedlock that would have made her the wife of Lianis Venin" He looked me in the eye as he said that.

"Then that means..." I gasped, I was so afraid of what he was going to say.

"No, it does not mean that, you are not his son." He interrupted me. "You can breathe a sigh of relief"  
Which I did, and he continued.

"Your mother found solice in me, but I'm afraid that our friendship went beyond what the life of a priest would allow. By the time that her parants her, she was already pregnant with you." He explained. "Lianis was furious, he tried to have her arrested and me hanged, but Jauffre threatened to bring the wrath of the empire down on him if he violated the sanctuary that she had claimed."

"That explains why he has been after us all this time," I said "But even that's not so bad, it's in the past now, what could possible be worse then that."

He beckoned me to him, which I followed. I sat on the stool next to him and he put a hand on my shoulder. Looking me in the eye, he took a deep breath and cleared his throat

"Lianis murdered your mother"

--

Well, I've edited a bit of Chapter 1, and this upload is long overdue. Reviews would be greatly appreciated. I'm going to look over Chapter 3 one more time before I upload it, tell me what  
you think, does any of this get under your skin?

Another Edit, alright, going to be giving this story an overhaul as far as spelling mistakes go, so for now, no critiques on spelling, because I'm already working on it. Besides, you've got better things to do, like...cleaning your room, brushing your teeth, or doing your taxes


	3. Chapter 3 An Old Friend

I woke up just as the sun was setting. I could see it outside the window to my room, I was still feeling tired but I was restless, and hungry. I decided to go down to the lobby and get something to eat. I wanted to start planning out what I was going to do , but I didn't want the distraction of hunger to cloud my mind. I got dressed in my travel clothes, I didn't want to appear to be any kind of warrior to anyone. Since it was getting close to nightfall I was afraid that anyone who had been staying at the inn that night would have been drinking, drinking meant fighting when it came to inns, not just taverns. I didn't want to look like a challenge to any nords who could have been in the diner starting trouble, so naturally I left my katana under my bed. When I made it downstairs I saw the wisdom in my choice, there were several fully armored men, who were obviously drunk, gathered around a table. All of them shouting, singing and laughing. I figured that they must have came in while I was asleep because they weren't there when I rented my room that morning. I made my way to the bar keeping my eyes away from the group so I wouldn't risk eye contact. Christophe, the innkeeper, was sitting on a chair behind the bar, he looked up at me from the book he was reading as I pulled up a seat.

"Hello sir, these men didn't wake you did they?" He asked while getting up.

"No, I slept pretty heavily." I answered, the dream of one of the last few days with my father still lingered on my mind.

"Oh, that's good," He said relieved. "If they did I would have to kick them out."

"You wouldn't have to do that for me" I politely responded.

"Of course I would have to, it's bad for business if you let drunken brutes like these bother your guests." He gestured to the group. "It builds a bad reputation for inns especially, besides they haven't rented room yet. Is there anything I can get you?"

"I'm getting hungry, do you have any meat of any kind?" I asked

"Why yes we do, our forester just got two deer today, it'll be done cooking in just a few minutes" He leaned close and lowered his voice. "I'll make sure you get the biggest steaks"

"Thank you, I highly appreciate it" I thanked him in an equally soft volume. "Do you have any juice as well?"

"That we do, I'll be sure to add some wine to that if you'd like." His tone returned to normal.

"Oh, thanks but no thanks, just juice will be fine." I quickly declined politely.

"I'm surprised, you're the first costumer in months who didn't want wine." He said. "I figured from the way you were looking this morning that you could have used at least something with alcohol."

"The way I looked?" I cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, when you came in here this morning you looked like you had something on your mind, at least that's what I guessed, you weren't smiling like you used to and you didn't seem to want to talk." Christophe explained with sympathy in his voice. "It must have been something pretty bad because you looked ready to burst into tears, and I've always figured you to be a tough lad."

I suddenly realized that word of what I had done hadn't reach his ears.

"Oh, was I that obvious?" I asked, a little embarrassed.

"Listen, Dairou," He leaned in and spoke softly again while putting a hand on my shoulder. "You can talk to me about whatever is bothering you, I won't judge you. But if you don't want to, I will respect that, you've always been welcome here."

Right then I wanted to break down and tell him about everything I had been through, but I didn't want to frighten him. So all I could do was just sit there and fight back tears. I must have looked like a fool because I knew he could see the sadness in my eyes. I just sat there as tears started to form in my eyes, I couldn't speak.

"I'll have my niece bring your food up to your room if you need to be alone." Christophe finally said.

I mouthed the words 'thank you' and looked away just before a tear slid down my face.

"No problem friend."

-------------------------------------------------------------

I sat in my room and thought about the kindness that Christophe had shown me. I had known him for years, sort of. Every year since I was fifteen my father would give me some money and let me go to Anvil to browse the exotic goods that were at the shops there. He told me that I needed to get used to traveling all by myself. I would always stay at the Brina Cross Inn which was just a few miles north of Anvil itself. It was one of the things I looked forward to every year. Anvil was a coastal town that saw many merchants from far away, there was always something that I had never seen at the trade houses. From books in foreign languages, to clothing that didn't seem to belong on any party of the body, to jewelry that was made of the strangest things. My most favorite things however were the weapons. I saw blades, axes, mazes, and stave's of all shapes and sizes. Sometimes I would come across a weapon that didn't even look like it could be used for any purpose.

Christophe started keeping track of the days when I would come by and always kept a room open just for me. We mostly talked about the things that I would bring back from the shops, whenever I brought back something I didn't understand he would always have some idea of what it was. He taught me how to throw knives after I had brought several throwing blades back, I had mistaken them for just low quality daggers meant for concealing. He showed me why they were so off in balance, the balance was meant for throwing and sticking. But due to the fact that I had to head back home just as fast as I had arrived we never really got the chance to get to know each other.

My reminiscing was interrupted by a knock at the door, I quickly got up to answer but the door opened was opened by the time I was on my feet. It was Elona, Christophe's niece, she smiled at me as she brought a warm plate of deer stakes to me, I smiled right back as I accepted it

Elona was about a year younger then me, and about a foot shorter too. Her face was pretty, complemented by her blond hair that was pushed behind her ears, her eyes were a bright blue and her build was very small and delicate. Though she was no princess, she still about as pretty as one even in the simple clothes she wore.

I sat the plate down on the table near the bed and turned around to find that she didn't turn around to leave. She was inching closer to me instead with her hands behind her back and looking at me in a shy manner.

I suddenly realized that she was flirting with me. I was completely caught off guard. I didn't know what to do in that moment so I just stood there, unable to move. I started to blush, really hard. Upon seeing that I was more embarrassed then she was she started to giggle. Armed with more courage she finally walked up to me and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. That left me almost paralyzed. "Mmmm." She hummed in her high pitched voice, as she held me.

Finally she took a step back and looked up at me smiling sweetly. I just stood there, dumbfounded for a few seconds. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came. She giggled again and broke the silence.

"Uncle Chris says that something was making you sad, so I gave you a hug to make you feel better." She said in an innocent tone.

"Th-thank you..." I articulated.

"You're welcome." She giggled again, reached up and gave me another hug, one that I returned, before turning and walking out.

She was right, it did make me feel better. In fact it made me want to chase her down and keep hugging her. The little warm feeling of affection was exactly what I needed to raise my spirit. Her soft arms, her hair brushing against my face, it felt so nice. I wanted to hold her forever. I had never courted a woman before, but that was enough to make me realize that I was going to need some sort of companionship in the future.

I sat down and started eating. I started planning out how I was going to tell Christophe about father. Everything except for what I had done to Lianis, I was going to leave that part out until I was going to leave the next morning. After finishing both of my steaks I checked underneath the bed, my leather armor was still there next to my katana exactly where I had left them. I got up and made my way downstairs.

At the bottom of the steps, I suddenly wished that I would have stayed in my room. There were three imperial armored soldiers standing at the bar talking to Christophe.

-----------------------------

My sister, who has never played the game, nor has she ever read a fanfic in her life read just this chapter and none of the previous, she got mad at me for leaving a cliffhanger, I guess it was well done then. If you've read this far and have been wondering why I break off and do a part that seems to not fit, that would be the requiem part of the story. That would is where I dig backwards and give you Dairou's(DIE-ROO) motivations, that and I wanted to get to the good part quick without having to write all the back story first, besides, I think the suspense from both gets readers pretty well, and for those of you who hate Lianis already, don't worry, you'll want to have killed him yourself when it comes time.


	4. Chapter 4 If only for a moment

All three of the Imperial Legion Guardsmen were facing Christophe with their backs turned to me, no doubt they were telling him about the murder that I committed, and that I was now on the run. I had to get away somehow, without thinking I turned around and bolted back up the stairs. Upon reaching the top I stopped and realized that I made a bad mistake, the bottom of the stairs ended by the door, I had just ran past my only escape. Trying to make good on time I turned around and headed back the way I came. Suddenly I stopped when I saw a shadow of someone around the corner by the door, they were moving pretty quickly my way so I took the only option that I had and sprinted back to my room.

I flung the door open and when I was in the room I tried to shut the door as quickly and quietly as I could. Instead my hand accidentally slipped off the knob causing it to slam. My heart was racing faster then ever before then. I could hear footsteps coming from down the hall, no doubt whoever it was heard the door slam because the footsteps were now moving faster. I panicked and looked around the room. My katana, I decided that there was no other option but to fight my way out, so I quickly reached under my bed and pulled it out. I looked around the room once more, this time looking up. The rafters gave me an idea, so I took a step back, then ran toward the wall. I jumped up, kicked off the side of the wall onto the corner of the next and sort of "ran" up the wall into the ceiling rafters. I made it into a ready position just as the door opened. When I looked down I was a bit relieved as we'll as confused as to who burst in.

It was Elona and she was holding what appeared to be clothes in her arms. She quickly shut the door behind her, tossed the clothes onto the bed, and started to take off her shirt. I was already both confused and frightened, but after what I had just seen I started to feel like a pervert. I wanted to look away but there really was nowhere else to look but up, and I wanted to be prepared for whatever else could be coming through the door. As soon as she got her shirt off she held her arm over her chest to cover herself up and hurriedly scanned the room, she was obviously looking for me, after checking under the bed and behind the dresser she finally looked up at me, almost as soon as our eyes met the door opened.

Elona shrieked at whoever opened the door, grabbed the plate I had eaten off of earlier with her free hand and threw it at them.

"PERVERT!" She screamed at the Imperial guard as the plate shattered against his helmet.

"Oh, please I apologize ma'am, I didn't mean to-" The guard was clearly embarrassed.

"PERVERT!" She yelled again. "GET OUT!"

The guard quickly shut the door when she reached for a planter to throw at him. After standing still for several more seconds Elona walked up to the door opened it just enough to stick her head out and shouted down the hallway.

"I'm going to tell the Watch Captain about this!" Clearly she wanted everyone in the inn to hear her. After a few more seconds of looking out the door she closed it shut and started giggling softly to herself. The whole time she had kept her chest covered with one arm. She finally looked up at me with a mischievous smile on her face. I felt a huge wave of relief come over me.

"You can come down now," She whispered. "Coast is clear."Then she walked over to the bed and started to put on a shirt from her clothes she had tossed on the bed.

I was so stunned that I nearly fell off the beam I was perched on. By the time I made it down she was dressed again.

"Wow!" I whispered. She giggled like usual. "How did...why..."

"I was in the lobby folding clothes when the guards came in, as soon as I saw you take off I knew that something was wrong," She giggled again, I was starting to notice a pattern. "Uncle Chris told them that he hadn't seen you, but they wanted to check the rooms anyway. So he stalled them so I could get up here." She explained proudly.

I began to realize that it was her who followed me up the stairs. I pictured her running past the guards while they still had their backs turned. I felt so thankful that I couldn't stop myself from throwing my arms around her in a tight hug. One that she returned just as much.

"Thank you so much," I whispered keeping my voice low as she held me in return. "But how could I ever truly thank you?"

"You don't have to," She whispered back. "Just don't get caught." Then she kissed me on the cheek as we broke off from the hug. That made me blush. I was reminded of my inexperience with girls. I tried to think of something to say but the words didn't quite make it to my mouth.

"Weren't you embarrassed?" I asked

"A little, but it was worth it. You should have seen his face, I almost blew your cover I wanted to laugh so hard!" She laughed "Besides, your face was so red I was afraid that you were going to have a nosebleed."

If I could have blushed any more, I would have. But I couldn't help but realize the risk that she and Christophe were taking to protect me, the seriousness of the situation kept me from getting caught up in that moment. I started to feel guilty about what I was putting them both through.

"I'm sorry about ..." I hesitated and took a breath. "...all this"

"Oh, don't worry," She responded, with a smile. "Besides, that was kind of fun."

"No, not that-I," My eyes went to the floor as my tone changed, I didn't want to hide the truth anymore, I had to confess. The guilt that I felt started to catch up with me.

"What is it Dairou?" She put her hands on my cheeks, her tone changing with mine.

"I..." I struggled to get the words out. "I killed someone." I was afraid to look her in the eyes because the tears were starting to form in mine. I felt pathetic, I had been raised to be able to hide my emotions, all my life I practiced for moments like these where I had to appear stronger then I was. But there I was looking like a crybaby in front of a lady, I felt disgusted in myself for being so weak.

"I know." Her reaction caught me completely off guard, I looked up at her with wide eyes.

"You know!?" I asked. Her smile was long gone. She blinked while slowly nodding her head, her hands never left my face. The expression on her face was one of sympathy and understanding in place of the surprise and fright that I was expecting.

"Yes," she answered "just a few minutes before you checked in here this morning we got a copy of The Black Horse Courier, I wanted to talk to you first thing. But Uncle Chris said that you would probably run if you knew that we knew."

I didn't want to admit it, but she was right. I would have been out of there the moment that I found out that they knew. I wasn't tearing up anymore, but it did feel embarrassed about the way I must have looked.

"Elona I," I hesitated but I spoke up after a second. "I think it would be best if I left, I don't want you and your uncle to take the risk of harboring me." I tried to sound sincere, but I really didn't want to leave.

"No, it's okay." She protested. Her hands were on mine now, she was in love with me. I noticed around my second visit there years ago that she always catered to me, normally inns didn't offer that kind of service, but she always brought me things to my room that I needed, weather I asked for them or not. I figured that she must have looked forward to my visit every year.

"Elona, I don't want you to take a chance like this just for me..." I was only telling half the truth. "I'm a wanted criminal now."

The other half of the truth was that I was starting to feel for her the same thing she felt for me. I wanted to take her by both hands and run away. But I knew that was a greedy thought, I was going through quite a bit of strife and I would only be putting her in danger by dragging her along.

"Lianis provoked you Dairou, what happened was brought on by himself." She insisted.

"That's not an excuse for what I did," I broke in as I let her hands go. "He wanted me to kill him!"

She just looked at me for a second.

"What do you mean he wanted you to?" She asked me softly.

"He deliberately provoked me," I answered her while turning away. It was hard to admit that I was wrong, but it did feel good to confess it. "He was trying to get me to snap, otherwise he would have acted different. He knew I would kill him, he just wanted to make sure I would have been taken down with him."

Truly I wasn't sure of that, but I wouldn't have put it past him. Either way I know that he would have been happy to see me in prison. I would have turned myself in due to my conscience but the obvious circumstances and my pride made it impossible to bring myself to do so.

"Dairou, if you hadn't killed him then he would have still been hurting you to this day. There's no telling how low he would have stooped to get at you." She shot back. At that I turned my head back to her and narrowed my eyes. Something about the way she said that made me look at her differently. She still seemed innocent, it was the fact that she sounded more like an adult, an adult who had not yet realized that she had grown up. It was beautiful, her understanding was almost more then I could take. I wanted to return the affection she wanted to give me, but I didn't want to put her in danger of being let down be it by my own death or simply by letting her get caught up in what I was in. So I hid my feelings behind an angry face.

"Maybe, maybe not," I retorted, "but that doesn't make it my place to take revenge. What I did to him was not for the greater good, it was just selfish. Justice should come in the form of fair punishment with a sentence, not...not what I did!" Even though I was really saying what I felt, I just wanted to argue with her, I wanted her to dislike me in that moment, for her sake. It wasn't hard to figure out why I was falling for her. I needed companionship, and she was perfect for me.

"We'll you don't always get to see justice played out the way it should be now do you!?" She snapped back at me. "You and your father weren't the only people that Lianis hurt. He was a snake in the grass who should have been caught long ago. He deserved the punishment he got, his death was long overdue and someone had to rid the world of him sooner then later. It doesn't matter if it was you or some goblin, in fact I think it was fitting!"

I was in love...

"We'll as fitting as it was it turned me into a wanted man, now I don't get to go home anymore! Lianis took everything from me by provoking me, I can't stay here." I wasn't even thinking about what I was saying, in fact I was sure that I was repeating myself. I was really just admiring her face as her anger turned it read...so cute. I was starting to regret that I had not taken notice of her all these years. Maybe I subconsciously looked forward to seeing her and I was too hard headed to let my emotions have their way with me. Or it could have been my pride that wouldn't let me put down my guard.

"Then we can leave Cyrodill and live out our lives somewhere far away where no one can find you!" She made such a cute, smart ass remark that knocked my guard down.

"I can't let myself put you in that kind of danger, I care about you too much to let that..." I stopped in the middle of my sentence and didn't move. We both just stood there staring at each other, well aware of what the other wanted. For almost a minute we held that gaze until I looked away embarrassed. I meant what I said, I just didn't mean to say it. I couldn't help but stare at the ground and blush. I knew she liked what I said because I could see her inching closer to me off the corner of my eye. I let my eyes return to her as she put her head on my shoulder, by that time her face was resting on my shoulder while her arms were wrapped around my waist. I gently put my arms around her and pulled her closer. Finally I started to find the words I really wanted to say to her.

"I would love to take you with me wherever I go, I just don't want to risk your life while I'm on the run." I spoke softly in her ear. "If it hadn't been for what I did, I would take you to live with me at the farm. You and me could make it a home again."

At that she held me tighter. My knees were weak, my heart pounding, I was almost shivering as the adrenaline was pumping though my body. I had never known that feeling but I figured that it must have been what love does to you, I finally understood why people would do the most insane things for each other. I used to sneer at the love songs and romance stories that the traveling bards had brought to Kvatch as I grew up, it was ironic that I was suddenly living out one. I loved the feeling, but most of all I loved her. As much as we were taking in our embrace, there was still one undeniable barrier that stood between us.

"You realize that we are still complete strangers," I broke the silence trying to change the subject.

"No were not," She replied softly with a slight sob in her voice. "Uncle Chris knew your father."

We slowly released our hold on each other. I gave her an expectant look hoping she would give me an explanation, but she merely turned away. All of the sudden I realized that I had upset her.

"That reminds me," She continued. "I'm going to go check on Uncle Chris, you might want to jump back up in the ceiling." She turned away and started toward the door. I grabbed her hand before she was outside of arms length. She turned around but her face was pointed downward, I could see a tear sliding down her cheek. I knew that what I was about to do was only going to make things worse, but I didn't want her to walk away feeling rejected which would have haunted my conscience for a long time.

I lifted her chin with my free hand and our eyes met. The sadness in her eyes was too much for me to bear, so I took my hand from her chin and gently wiped the tear from her cheek. I took another step to close the distance between us and ended up almost bumping into her, but the mistake was subtle and didn't spoil the mood for what I was about to do.

I brought my face so close to hers that I our noses almost touched. My next sentence sounded like something that came straight out of a romance novel.

"I still don't know you...But I want to."

At that she slowly closed her eyes, In return I did the same and our lips met.

My first kiss, with a girl who I barely knew, and no love story to lead up to it. Almost as spontaneous as the change that my life was going through during that time. I couldn't have asked for a better more perfect setting. I could tell that it must have been her first kiss too because for a moment we just held each other in that pose and made no other movement. I started to feel like we were statues carved by an artist who would have others admire the eternal embrace of a love story driven by the impulsive actions of youth, the both of us sharing the rush of trading innocence for love for the first time. To me she was a beautiful young maiden who was the perfect image of what every mad dreamed of and loved me despite knowing the atrocities I had committed. To her, I must have been a charming and dangerous rouge from one of her wild fantasies of being swept away.

As we reluctantly parted she looked back up at me and smiled. The loving smile on her face was a joy to me, I indulged in the relief to know that she didn't feel rejected. She gently took me by the collar of my shirt with both hands and gave me a soft kiss on the lips. Then without a word she backed up to the door keeping her eyes on me. After that she turned around to open the door and with a cute little wink she disappeared in the direction from whence she came.

I stood there feeling a wave of joy and happiness that I had been unable to find all my life. It was conflicting with the pain I was feeling of losing my father. I wasn't so sure if that was a good thing but she was the only bit of hope I had of doing something right, even if it was a stupid move on my part. I flopped down on the bed and started to plan out what I was going to do the next day. I knew that Christophe was going to be overjoyed to find out that the feelings Elona had for me were finally being returned, but idea of her running away with me would be an entirely different concept that he would definitely not welcome.

I decided to take a moment and let my eyes rest, I knew that meant I was probably going to dream about the past again but for once I was okay with that. I had hope again, and now I could look back without waking up in tears. Either way, I needed to let my requiem take over for a moment, at least to help me face up to what I let myself do wrong. I closed my eyes and let the memories return.

The last few days had been a true test of my will. The truth had been concealed for as long as possible. I was not meant to know what Lianis had done until I was old enough to refrain from using anger to decide my resolve, and rightly so. Every night since I had been told of what happened, I dreamed of killing Lianis myself. I had hated him all my life because he tormented my father and I for what seemed to be pure pleasure. His intentions for us were always ill, he would cheat us out of our taxes, threaten us with jail time to make us personally clean his manor, and when we tried to defend ourselves he would always have something to put us back down.

I remember times during my early teen years when he demanded that I work for three days out of the week at his manor doing small meaningless tasks just so that he could order me around. When my father refused Lianis threatened to bring us before the count himself and charge me with "Assault". With no defense of our own we gave in and I was forced to complete ridiculous tasks with no meaning whatsoever, from rearranging his books in no particular order to polishing the shingles on his rooftop. I particularly hated it when I was locked in the damp and dark basement of his manor with no light trying to move around countless chairs and tables, no doubt he never used, into some obscure pattern he would reinvent every day. After I was finished "compensating" him for what I had never done he would smile in satisfaction when our paths would cross. Countless incident's would follow as the years went by.

One particular event stuck in my mind, it had occurred during my fourteenth year of life. Father had brought Brother Martin from the chapel with him when he went to pay his taxes to make sure that Lianis could not come back to us and say otherwise as Martin would be a witness.

So Lianis came up with a plan to get revenge for his missing his yearly "bonus" that came out of our pockets. He watched me as I walked through Kvatch the next morning to buy books from Broken-Tooth's Bookstore. I had plans on buying a few novels to take with me during that year's visit to Jauffre. But as I walked toward the store Lianis positioned himself just around the corner from a guard and started walking my way. I was busy counting the money in my pack as he did so hence I didn't see him coming. When he was close enough he grabbed one of my arms with his left hand, slammed a small purse of money in my hand with his right, and with both of his hands, held my hand shut around it. As he did so he started yanking on my arm and screamed "Thief" at the top of his lungs. I was not strong enough to escape his grasp, so I drew my hunting knife to fight back and before I knew it I was tackled by a member of the morning watch. As I lay on my back with a steel boot in my throat I suddenly realized what had happened. I could not tell my side of the story because that particular guard had served Kvatch only a month and was too proud of himself to bother with double checking the incident. I spent several weeks in jail because of that. To make matters worse he claimed that the pack I was carrying was his and with no witnesses who saw what really happened other then a hard headed guard who wanted a promotion, he got away with all of my money as well as some of my clothes.

He visited me in my cell the first night and told me that if he ever "went hungry" again because of our "greed" he would ensure that we would compensate him for all future suffering that we would cause him. He then would come every other night to tell me how worthless my father was and that my mother was a whore. I had been able to ignore the insults at first, but near the last night of my sentence I could take no more. My anger tricked me into throwing a stool at him from behind the bars, the jailer who was posted at the time heard the noise and rushed in. I was afraid that I was going to be beaten down again, but instead quite the opposite. The jailer brought him in front of the count and informed him of what had been going on. Lianis was told that if he were seen anywhere near the cells again he would not be rescued should I break through the bars and start beating him, due to his obvious attempts to provoke me.

After that Lianis left us alone for months, until he showed up at our farm one morning to threaten us. Unfortunately Father and I were training that morning. Our practice was in secret, the only person in Kvatch who knew what we were really doing was Martin. At the time I was still using a bokken. Father would stand next to me and follow me through each motion with the blade itself. We had no possible way of anticipating that Lianis would show up that day, we thought that we were blessed with the peace from him we had hoped for. So we were all but off guard when we both had turned around and saw him on the trail. Father noticed him first, and stopped what we were doing, followed his gaze and was dumbfounded that Lianis had came all the way out to our farm. He just stood there staring at us. We had no idea how long he had been there, but there was no doubt he understood exactly what we were doing. For almost a minute we stood there in complete silence. Lianis' eyes went from Father, to the katana. Then his face twisted into an expression of anger that I had never seen out of him before. At that he stomped off back in the direction of Kvatch. What happened after that was just as unusual considering how most meetings with Lianis had ended. Father smiled.

----------I'm in the middle of chapter 5 right now, i hope you all like me sneaking a little bit of romance it, that part is just for you L'ankou. I really appreciate the reviews, i try my best to make this story interesting...although i realize that as many chapters as i have posted that i havent progressed as far into the story as i wanted by now...so i'm going to try and move things along a bit faster or i'm just going to have to write longer chapters...probably both, your comments and reviews are appreciated...especially you L'Ankou and allshalefade


	5. Chapter 5 My Heartstrings Come Undone

For all of you who've been anxious for Chapter 5, here you go. I wanted to take it slow on this project but certain people were so impatient. There will be mistakes in my writing, I've come to accept that, but you readers who send me messages begging me to put up the next chapter seem to not care about a few little errors here and there, I love how you've gotten attached to Dairou. I am amazed at the support I get from you all, despite the fact that this is my first FF. Your reviews mean a lot to me, so please keep them coming.

Thank you Charlotte for your support, your the first friend I've made through my story and to have you on my case making me write faster is an inspiration just to keep going with my story, and don't worry about your english, we still love your FF no matter what and we still love you for bringing us Sigrid, and your story.

Dairou thanks you for your hugs by the way...

Here we go with no further delay...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I awakened from my daydream to the sound of the room door opening. Christophe came in and greeted me with a mischievous smile. As soon as the door was closed I sat up from the bed.

"You knew my father?" I asked, but he ignored my question as he was looking up at the ceiling. His gaze moved from the rafters to the wall next to him.

"Looking for something?" I tried another question.

"How did you manage to get up there?" He finally asked me in amazement as he brought his attention back to me.

"Oh," I suddenly realized what he was searching for.

"I kicked off here..." I explained while pointing to the section of wall I started my "ran", then I traced my path up to the ceiling onto the beam that I was hiding on.

"Amazing," He replied. "So you decided to go out the window huh?"

"What wind-" I looked up and to my astonishment there was a window right next to the rafter I had been standing on earlier. "-ow: I...guess I...missed that."

I felt like I had reached a whole new level of stupidity. I looked at back at Christophe to find him staring at me wide-eyed, which did not help to curb the embarrassment that I was feeling. He then burst out laughing so hard that I was afraid he was going to have at heart-attack.

"You were so clever to find an unreachable place to hide-ha ha ha- but you didn't see the window that you could have used to escape." He laughed. "I guess you were in more danger of falling out of it, then finding it."

He was laughing so hard that he had to hold onto the dresser to hold himself up. I started to smile a bit; after all it was pretty funny. Finally I joined him in a laugh. Before I knew it I found myself laughing just as hard as he was. Inside I found myself thanking him for helping to take the emotional load off my back.

After we both calmed ourselves down I finally restated the question I asked before.

"Did you know my father?" I tried again.

"Oh yes, I was a good friend to Hiryu." He answered, still breathing heavily from our joke. "He was one hell of a fighter when we were kids."

"When you were kids?" I inquired.

"Yes, your father and I were both from Chorral; I used to play games with him until my father built this place and moved us here." He explained. "He and I used to wrestle around just outside the North Country stables, by the way, are the stables still there?"

I nodded.

"Oh, it's been so long since I've been there. I can't say that I would ever really live there again, way too formal for me."

"Oh." I replied. I was taken by surprise by the fact that there was so much that I did not know about my father's past. "How did you know that I was Hiryu's son? Every year that we talked...I know that I never really said anything about him."

"You are the spitting image of him. We used to write back and forth after he took you to Kvatch as a baby. I visited him a few times before my own father passed away and left me to take care of this place full time. Ha, I changed your diapers before you could walk, and you don't even remember me."

"Wow," I said, stunned. "So why didn't you tell me this all these years?"

"You never asked." He laughed.

I hesitated for a moment.

"Seems like there's quite a bit that I should have asked." My tone softened a bit as I sat down on the bed.

"I heard about Hiryu's death the day it happened." He said putting a sympathetic hand on my shoulder. He then pulled up a stool to sit in front of me. "To be honest I can't blame you for what you did to that snake in the grass. He deserved every bit of what you did to him, and more. He was the reason why my father had to leave Chorral."

"What?" I asked looking back up. I remembered Elona saying that Lianis had hurt others. "What did he do to you?"

"Well, after your father moved to Kvatch he didn't want anyone to know where he had gone. Lianis would have found out eventually but you know how impatient the Venins are. He started coming up with the stupidest charges and tried to press them on anyone who he thought knew where your father was. That included friends and family. My old man and I were guilty by association so he decided to work on family first."

"Wait," I interrupted. "You said family first."

"Correct."

"You were related to my father?"

"Yes we were cousins."

I was silent for several seconds after that.

"So..." I broke the silence, I was afraid of what I thought he was implying. "...you're saying Elona is my cousin. I just...kissed my cousin!"

He burst out laughing even harder then before as I froze in place.

"Oh, that's just too funny." He choked out laughing so hard. "No my friend, cousin's, hahahahaha--by marriage---hahahaha. The gods have seen fit to place you as the butt of most every joke they can play on you."

He continued laughing.

"Quite the ladies man aren't you." He said as his laughter subsided. "I guess that's Elona's fault for not telling you. She's had a thing for you for years now."

I blushed.

"Yeah, I see that now." I responded with embarrassment in my voice. "She kind of let me know that after...she fended off the guards."

"Oh I see a future in you two somehow." He added with a smile. "I came up here to tell you that the guards have decided to watch this place."

"Damn." I cursed out loud. I sat back down on the bed and folded my hands in front of me in frustration.

"They said that they will be watching for just a few days however. I guess that means you're going to be stuck here then." He inferred.

"Where's Elona?" I asked

"She's watching the desk, the guards are afraid of coming in now because every time one of them opens the door she reaches for something to throw." He laughed. "I guess you don't have to worry about them walking in on you in here."

"Why not?"

"I told them that this is her room, so tonight the two of you are going to sleep in here."

"Both of us?" I blurted in surprise.

"I didn't stutter." He answered with a smile.

"Gee...I...don't know what to say..." I articulated with embarrassment.

"She insisted," He continued. "She an adult Dairou, just like you are. Elona has made up her mind, and I stand by her. In fact I'm proud of her choice, she's got a good head on her shoulders and so do you. I say congratulations my friend."

I stared at him in amazement for a few seconds. After a few seconds I stood up and offered my hand.

"Thanks." I said as he shook my hand.

---

A few minutes later I was reading a book that Christophe had brought up to occupy me until Elona was done with her tasks of folding clothes and cleaning up the table in the lobby. I wanted to go downstairs to help her but Christophe said that it was too risky, even if the guards were posted outside, that one of them would come in from time to time only to be driven out by Elona angry stares.

I had imagined her struggling to keep a straight face as she would stare down any legion soldier that dared to show his face in her presence. Then after they left the room she would smile to herself, her smile was indeed a sight that I could get used to seeing. I started to imagine myself waking up to her face in the morning, I found myself going through our kiss over and over in my head. I was so focused on that memory that I paid almost no attention to the book I was reading, I only thought of her. I wondered how long she had wanted me, what was going through her mind when she decided to stick up for me. Her life was put in danger the moment she had helped to hide me, yet she still had a smile just for me. I started to wonder if love was what I needed to save myself. I didn't get to ponder that thought because right about then the door came open.

In came Elona with a big smile on her face with her eyes fixated on mine. As I sat the book down on the dresser next to the bed she locked the door behind her. Turning around she made her way to the bed and sat down next to me.

"My work is all done for the day." She cooed as she pressed her face against mine. In response I wrapped my arms around her and started to kiss her lips. She returned it and started to push me backward on the bed. For several minutes we played with each other, the little affectionate games that lovers play, little bites, touches, and pecks. It was obvious to both of us that we had no experience as to what lovers in our position did, but we didn't care. We were just happy to be together. Eventually our little games came to a pause and we just lay there cuddling, with her head resting on my chest.

"Elona…" I asked as I ran my fingers through her hair.

"Yes?" She answered while looking up at me with a dreamy look in her eyes that made my heart melt.

"You know very well what I did, right?"

"Yes."

"You know that I have no choice but to keep running, right?"

"Yes."

I hesitated before speaking again.

"I don't want to leave you." I murmured.

"You're not." She whispered.

I looked down at her. She only smiled at me.

"I'm not?" I inquired.

"Christophe didn't tell you?"

I cocked an eyebrow; she sat up and stretched out. As she did so I couldn't help but admire her slender feminine figure, I wasn't able to stay my hands from reaching up and massaging her back. My advances were well received as she started to tie her hair back to make room for both of my hands. I moved my hands up ward and started massaging her shoulders.

"Mmmh, you're so sweet." She moaned.

"What do you mean I'm not leaving you?" I asked her.

"You're not leaving me." She answered me. "I'm coming with you."

I was taken by surprise, but I didn't stop rubbing her shoulders. That was exactly what I wanted, but I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"You want to come with me?"

She turned her head to look back at me.

"I _am_ coming with you."

I hesitated again.

"…what about Christophe?"

"He's okay with it."

At that it finally sank in.

"Did it take a while to convince him?"

"Actually it was his idea," She giggled.

"It was?"

"Sort of…" She held my gaze with a smile. She knew that I was surprised, she was enjoying my reaction. "I was thinking about asking him if I could run away with you, but I was afraid that he would get angry. But he came to me first. He said that I was an adult now and that it was entirely up to me, so I went with what I wanted."

She closed her eyes and started to take in the massage that I was giving her. Suddenly I realized that I would be putting her in even more danger. I loved her, but I didn't want her to abandon everything that she had at the Inn just for me.

"I see…" I replied. I started to search for the words to try and convince her to stay. "But, Elona…I don't want you to get hurt, I can't---"

"Dairou!" She interrupted me and shot me and angry look. Without hesitating she grabbed my hands, pushed me down and crawled on top of me while pinning my hands back. With her face just an inch or so away she spoke in a firm and fiery tone. "I spent the last five years of my life watching you come and go here, ever since I first met you I wanted you. I spent every other day of the year that you weren't here trying to find the words to tell you how I felt about you. But every time I came close I would get so scared and by the time I knew what I wanted to say you were gone again. Uncle Chris did his best to keep you here long enough to give me time but I always let him down because I was too scared. Now once you leave here I know that you probably won't be coming back if I don't take you now I'll never get a chance like this ever again!"

When she was finished she was breathing heavily. The glare on her face told me that there were no words that could be found that could change her mind. From that point on I had no choice but to take her with me. Everywhere I was going to go she was going to go with me, whatever dangers I would face, she was going to face them with me, wherever I was going to go, she would be right beside me, and nothing was going to stop her from risking her life for me…I couldn't help but say it to her.

"I love you." It was the first time I had ever said those words to a woman. The whole day had been filled with firsts for me. I had no way of stopping myself from saying it. There was something about the way she had overwhelmed me that just weakened the emotional restraints that held me back.

"I love you too…" She repeated back to me in a much softer tone. Closing her eyes she pressed her lips against mine, for several seconds we enjoyed the rush that was lavished by our kiss. Eventually she sat up on my lap and I rested my hands on her thighs. With a smile she slowly guided my hands form her thighs to her breasts.

I savored the loving glint in her eyes…

Requiem

"Father."

"Yes."

"Do you remember a few years ago when Lianis discovered us practiceing?" I asked father as I filled my pack with the supplies needed for the trip to Chorral.

"You mean when he showed up that morning just to threaten us with more of his horseshit?" Instantly I looked up at him when he finished his sentence. I had never heard him swear before, I thought I had asked him a question he didn't want to answer but when I looked at his face he was smiling to himself.

"Yes, that was the first day I had ever let you practice with your katana." He went on. I could tell that I had suddenly got him to reminisce about the past. "I handed you the blade and you were so nervous…I told you just to handle it like your bokken, and you were still afraid of it. You wanted to put it down but I told you that you weren't going to leave that spot until you had finished your move sets with the real thing. Ha, you were so scared that I thought you were going to break down and cry."

By the time he finished speaking he was looking at me smiling.

"Do you remember how you got me to finally use it?" I asked with a small half-smile. Without missing a beat father answered.

"Yes, I told you that it was no different from using your bokken, I told you just to relax, I told you that your life will depend on your skills with your blade someday, none of that worked, you almost dropped your sword." He couldn't retain a chuckle. "But when I told you that you were ready…you were suddenly calm and collected, and you went through your movements with almost flawless technique."

"I remember that too." I added, "but, I wasn't ready was I?"

His smile got even bigger.

"No." He laughed.

"Right, but when I kept going you told me that you had never before seen technique performed so well."

"Yes, I was supposed to wait another year before letting you practice with the real thing, but you proved to me that it was an unnecessary delay you could have done better without."

"But if I wasn't ready, if you knew that then why did you let me use it?"

"It was at the spurt of the moment, I wanted to see what you would do, and when you showed your fear of your weapon, I decided to keep pushing you. I wasn't sure how long you would last before finally throwing it down and running off. When I told you that you were ready for it though, I was amazed at how fast your tone changed. What was it that made you listen then but not before?" He waited for my answer.

I closed my eyes and reflected back on the memory of that day and took a deep breath before finally giving my answer.

"It was one thing to tell me how to use it, but when you told me that I was more then capable of taking the next step in my training, I trusted you. You had never led me wrong before, so I took what you said to heart and moved on." My words were with purpose.

"You are not just a good son, you're a great student. I couldn't have asked for you to turn out any better." Father declared with pride. I started to feel a tear swell up in my eye as I smiled.

"I'm only one man Father. It was because of you that I went so far." I said in modesty.

"You're more then just a man, you're a warrior, your training is far greater then any whom I have met." He defended.

"You're just saying that…"

"No, I'm not," He protested. " I trained in the same manner you did, Jauffre was just as hard on me as he is you, few ever get the privilege to have practiced from birth the way you and I have. That is what separates us from other warriors."

"But what is it that makes it so much better, I've never understood that?" I asked.

"When you start young, your body is still developing, your coordination is best shaped at that time because the subtle movements that your muscles learn while they are growing translate to the big movements you use as you get older." His explaination was enlightening to me at that moment. "When you start learning how to fight as a child, your mind understands what combat is in a way far greater then someone who has already made up their mind as an adult. Ideas, influences and beliefs don't get in the way because all you know how to do at that point is listen, the only distraction being that as a child you still need to play. But when you played, it was unlike the other kids who would play pranks or cause trouble. You climbed every fence you could find, you would drop out of trees just to tuck and roll when you hit the ground, you would run all the way to Kvatch and back just to see if you could get back before I noticed you were gone. You trained yourself far better then anyone that way and didn't know it.

"You grew up understanding combat and survival, even I couldn't have done any better. Your commitment and dedication went far beyond simply setting time aside to practice, your idea of fun was your practice."

"What are you saying?" I asked when he paused.

"I'm telling you Dairou, that you may be the best ever."

I was speechless. All my life Father told me that I "still had more to learn" at the end of nearly every training session, but now he was telling me that I was beyond any warrior who came before me. I still found it hard to believe.

"Father, I know I'm good but…" I couldn't think of anything to say beyond that

"But, what?" He asked waiting patiently for an answer. It took me almost a minute to come up with an answer.

"When we were hunting goblins and fighting off bandits, you were always right there next to me. Every time my skills were put to the test, you were fighting too. What am I going to do when you…when you…" I dared not finish that sentence, if I had, it would have ended with me in tears as I turned away to wipe away the ones that were already forming.

"Your going to do just as well," He quickly responded. "The only difference is that you won't have to watch my back anymore."

"What do you mean?" I asked with my back to him.

"Dairou, you saved me so many times during the goblin hunts that I realized that I was holding you back."

"No, you weren't holding me back, you just needed a little help." I was in tears, Father could tell even though he couldn't see my face.

"No Dairou, your true fighting prowess will be realized when you have no distractions. All you need to do is fight when you have no one else to protect or watch out for, and then you'll see what I mean." I felt his hand on my shoulder, but it wasn't one of sympathy. Though it was still comferting to me right then. "You will be the youngest blade to serve the emperor, but you will also be the most powerful. Your strength is equal to that of a lion, your speed is matched only by the mighty falcon, your balance would make a cat look as clumsy as a newborn. On top of that, you have mastered every aspect of a weapon that is considered dangerous even to it's wielder and now you are reaching the end of your training. Jauffre knows this, and when you are finally accepted into the Order of the Blades, you will be more then a force to be reckoned with."

"But why don't I feel so scared only now?" I shouted as I turned around, the tears had covered my face by then. I didn't truly care. "If I'm so good that no one can beat me, then why is it that I am afraid for the first time in my life? You know as well as I do that fear can get someone killed! What am I so afraid of?"

I was breathing heavily, I had yelled at father in a way I had never done. I felt so guilty for that, but Father seemed to see my regret.

"Dairou," He spoke in a calm voice, his hand never left my shoulder the whole time. "You're just afraid of being on your own. Up until now you've always had me to look up to, you are just refusing to let me go. It's okay."

"I'm afraid to be alone." I whimpered with my eyes closed and my head pointed toward the ground.

"Then quit crying and find a woman."

…………………………..

I didn't sense sarcasm in his voice, but it still felt like he just wanted me to shut up. I looked up at him and cocked an eyebrow.

"I mean it, find yourself a good woman, you've known my companaionship all your life, you really need to get out and fall in love." He laughed.

It took me a second to find the humor in it, but afterwards I shared his laugh too.

"But what if I make a mistake?" I asked, without sobbing.

"So what?" He retorted smiling. "I made a mistake with love, and you were the result, though I must say that's really not much of a mistake anymore now is it?"

I smiled and gave him a big hug. He was right, I was the irony of his biggest screw up in his lifetime. He took pride in me and for that I was thankful. I spent the next few minutes packing the last of my supplies. I had to leave before the sun came up to make as much progress to Chorral as I could before the heat of the day would force me to have to rest.

As I made my way out the door I stopped to take a deep breath of the cool morning air. After a few minutes I turned around to see Father standing just outside the doorway smiling with his arms crossed and in his armor. He wore it as a tribute to me as that was the last time I would be leaving for my advanced training with Jauffre.

I smiled back at him.

"Make me proud, Warrior" He said to me. I didn't know it at the time, but those were the last words I would ever hear from him.

I nodded once, turned around and started walking without looking back.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A little something for the girls who like romance, you know who you are. Please leave me your thoughts, I work hard for this and I really want to know what you think of this story, after all, I write it for you, I thank you all for your time and will do my best to get the next chapter started.

Sayonara----Matt


	6. Chapter 6 Would You Forgive Me?

I firmly pulled on the strap that held my katana to my back, it held. Then I took the time to make sure that all the ties on my armor would hold, pulling on every plate, wiggling every knot. Satisfied that everything was secure I scanned the room and made sure that I had not forgotten anything I would have regretted later. I was getting impatient while waiting for her to come back and was contemplating the thought of making my exit right then.

My patience was rewarded though, as Elona finally opened the door . Without a word she beckoned me to follow her, I nodded once and in silence proceeded to follow her down the hallway. As she led us through the inn to the front door I made sure that I stayed several steps behind to avoid letting the light from her candle shine on me. I wanted to stay in the darkness, which was easy since the blackness of my armor and mask were perfect for blending in with the shadows.

When she made it to the door she turned her head and searched behind her for me. After several glances in my direction I realized that she couldn't see me. I stood up and stepped out into the light just enough to let her pick me out from the corner I was crouched in. She smiled and winked at me in acknowledgment as she put her hand on the door knob. Since she couldn't see my face I took my fore and middle fingers and drew a "smile" across my face. She nodded back to me turned back to the door.

I started to move quietly toward her as she opened it and made her way out. In a couple seconds we were outside moving under the cover of night.

In silence we made our way toward the stables, where she began to untie her horse as I started picking up the bag of belongings she had packed and dead dropped the night before. A few minutes later we were on the road heading south to Anvil.

I held her tightly as we made our way down the road on her horse, we still had not spoken a word. It was like we were both just savoring the silence of the night. But that silence was interrupted by the sound of galloping in the distance coming from somewhere up ahead. I put my hand on Elona's arm quickly, she stopped the horse and put a hand on mine to let me know that she heard it too. With a silent queue from her I quickly dismounted and rolled into a nearby brush just off the path. Elona maneuvered her horse off to the opposite side to let whoever was in a hurry to just go by unobstructed. For what seemed like a lifetime we waited for the riders in the distance to appear, even though we could have very well seen them during the day because the path was downhill giving you a perfect view into the valley below, it was way too dark due to the clouds blocking out the stars.

Finally the riders emerged from the blackness of the night. They were a group of three Imperial Legion Soldiers clad in the signature black steel armor that every Legion Patrolmen wore. I watched Elona from my position hidden in the brush to make sure she was okay. Fear seemed to paralyze her as she watched the men approach, making me wish that I could have stayed on the horse with her. Then to my horror the soldiers game to a sliding halt right in front of her. Her horse violently reared up in fright causing her to fall into the grass. I almost jumped up from my hiding place before my judgment stopped me.

I felt guilty for staying hidden but she had told me earlier that day to stay out of sight during times like those.

Before she could get back up a guard dismounted and smacked her horse's rump to make it to take off running away. I couldn't help myself, I stepped out from behind the brush I was hiding in. Luckily the attention of the soldiers was focused entirely on Elona, so they didn't hear me creeping up behind them.

"Tell us where he is!" The one on foot demanded as Elona got to her feet. The other soldiers dismounted and kept their eyes on Elona.

"Wh-Where is who?" She stuttered in fright.

I took a few steps forward that put me within arms length of the closest soldier.

"You know exactly who I'm talking about," He snarled, grabbed her arm and violently jerked her around like a rag doll. "WHERE IS HE?!!!"

In a fit of rage at the sight of Elona being manhandled I grabbed the closest soldier by his helmet, kicked out the back of his knee and while dropping low pulled him over my back landing him flat on his face with a loud crash from his armor. As the other two immediately turned their attention to me, I drew my sword and pointed it at the back of his throat while planting one hand and one knee on his back. In response they unsheathed their weapons.

"Let...her...go," I growled at the leader while holding one of his own men hostage. "NOW!"

I stomped my knee on the hostages back to place emphasis on my last word. Both of the others stared at me stunned. For a few seconds we stood in a tense confrontation. I realized that I was turning Elona into a criminal before but I had not pictured a moment like this ever happening. The seconds started to fly by like minutes, I broke into a sweat very quickly. The fear did not show on my face however, but instead I expressed a sort of homicidal anger.

Suddenly the solder underneath me started to turn his head up from the dirt.

"Just let her go he's the one were after anyway." He pleaded from the ground with fear in his voice.

The man with his grip on Elona's arm appeared to consider the situation for a moment. Then looked at his alley, for a moment it seemed as if they were communicating with just nods and glances. Finally he turned back to me.

"Now..." I uttered between my gritted teeth as I picked my knee up from my hostages back and pressed my foot onto the back of his skull.

After a few more seconds went by the two soldier's eyes met again, this time they seemed to have a plan in mind. The both nodded and suddenly started to move. The unoccupied guard shouted an angry war cry and charged at me.

At the same time I kicked my captive in the back of the had, dodged the attacking swing almost effortlessly and in passing brought my katana down across the guards back as he stumbled forward.

My counter was devestating, as my blade tore a massive wound in both armor and fleash the guard let out a bloodcurling scream of pain and agony that echoed for miles. Blood quickly started to flow from the lower end of the cut in his cuirass. Stumbling forward he tripped over the other soldier who was still on the ground and plummeted facefirst into the dirt. I flicked some of the blood off my sword and turned to confront the one still holding Elona.

"Dammit!" He cursed. His expression was one of fear, which was what I was hoping for. Unfortunately that was a grave mistake. He looked at Elona who by now was almost out of his grip due to struggling, and to my horror pulled back the arm that held his sword.

"DAIROU!" she screamed loadly while jerking even harder to escape his grasp.

In fear for her life I charged forward and readied myself to stab her captor. I immediately closed the distance and thrust my blade forward, but as I did so he somehow managed to step back sling her right in front of me. I had anticipated such a move and began to redirect my blade. I watched in almost slow motion as I turned the point off course and rotated the edge away as it went past Elona's neck.

In my slowed down vision of the world I moved my gaze from the tip to Elona's face. I could almost feel the fright she was feeling as I was looking at her, her eyes were closed as tears streamed down her face making my heart sink. I turned my attention to the guard and in one quick motion I moved my blade away from Elona, spinning past her I dropped my stance low to the ground, brushed my hand through the grass and flung a fistful of dirt into the bastard's eyes.

"AAAAGHH!" He yelped in pain as he released his grip on Elona. Taking advantage of the distraction I brought my foot up and delivered a good strong kick to his chest sending him flying. When he hit the ground he started grabbing at his eyes which were no doubt in pain so I quickly turned my focus on the only other threat, the one whom I held up mere seconds earlier.

Sure enough he was up, I barely had time to dodge him as he tried to rush me. His attack was a charging downward chop that he put way too much effort into because he stumbled past me as I mearly stepped slightly off-line.

Sheathing my sword I pounced on his back, in an elaborate yet graceful takedown I rolled with him to the ground into an armbar. As he was rolled onto his back a loud sickening crack erupted from his elbow. In response he let out high-pitched cry of pain, as I bent it past the point of safe articulation. For extra measure I shifted it around a bit to maximize the pain, causing his screaming to get louder. At that point my anger was almost controlling me, I did not take pleasure in his pain however. Instead I was actually getting very irritated by his voice, in fact I decided to shut him up permanently.

I let go of his arm and slowly made made my way up on my feet. I was breathing heavily by that time, but I was far from spent. I had not really noticed how much an effect that the battle had on me. Staring down on the soldier with a broken arm I began to feel heartless and cold. I hated him and could not understand why. Something in my soul made me loathe him with an anger that was only matched by my hatred for the Lianis. I drew my sword from my back, spun it around to invert my grip, and held it over my wounded enemy.

"TOOOOHHH!" I let out a loud kiai as I brought my katana down with both hands onto his torso, piercing through the steel of his chestplate, the sound of the two metals scraping together was joined by the sickening squishing sound of blade cutting through flesh and bone as my weapon forced it's way into his heart. He did not scream, instead he seemed to welcome his demise at my hands even with the obvious agony that I was putting him through. He closed his eyes tightly and seemed to try to hold his breath, but even as he did the tightness of his facial expression seemed to relax itself as the life started to fade from his body. Withdrawing my blade I stood up and repeated the ritual I had done when I killed the goblin.

But as I started to resheathe my weapon I suddenly heard a scream.

"DAIROU!" Elona cried out my name. I turned around to see the last living guard holding Elona by her hair, she was struggling to get away but the guard had tangled her hair up in the joints of his gauntlet on purpose to keep her there. As soon as my gaze met his he smiled, and to my horror I watched as he drew his weapon hand back above Elona.

"NOOOOOOO!" I shouted at the top of my lungs as I broke into a run at him.

But it was too late.

Everything started to slow down even as I ran full sprint. My effort to close the distace, though it was unmatchable, was useless. My superhuman speed that was earned through a lifetime of training could not compensate for the space that the guard had put between him and I when I was distracted with killing his partner.

I watched in absolute disbelief as the guard brought his blade down onto Elona's stomach. My heart seemed to stop as the sword shot through her. In my slowed down perception of the world my eyes met hers, and I started to die inside somehow. She wasn't screaming, but it was clear that she had never felt so much pain in her lifetime. There were tears in her eyes, her expression of agony...It killed me.

I was finally able to close the distance and in a quick down-then upstroke I cut Elona's hair out of the gauntlet it was caught in, then the very hand that was wearing it. The steel of the soldier's armor, though of good quality, was no match for the unlabored flawlessness of my blade. It tore through his flesh as if it were butter, causing the guard to scream in shock and anguish. To immobilize him I took one more step, slashed his leg almost completely off, and with a strong kick to his chest I sent him rolling a good six yards.

I didn't bother to make sure he wasn't getting back up, that was already taken care of. I turned around and ran to Elona, was now laying on her back. The sword that impailed her on was laying beside her, I guessed that she had pulled it out herself.

"Elona I-" I sobbed and I knelt down at her side. I couldn't think of anything to say as I cradled my arms around her, at least not much other then-"I'm sorry, oh god Elona I'm so sorry."

The tears started to fall from my face once again, just like before. Even though she was in immense pain, she was still somehow was able to find the strength to smile as she looked up at me.

"It's...okay." She whispered weakly. Though she was struggling to speak, there was forgiveness in her voice.

"Elona, I...wasn't paying attention...I was supposed to look out for you, I promised Christophe..." My sobbing intensified with every word. Eventually I was so choked up that I couldn't speak coherently.

She slowly put one hand on my face and started to affectionately caress my cheek, with her other hand she wiped away the tears as they slid between her fingers.

"Dairou," She cooed. "it's okay, you didn't do anything wrong."

"But...I should have been watching, it's my fault-"

"No it's not," She interrupted me with one finger on my lips.

"Wha...Wait-" I stuttered while breathing quickly, "I-I can carry you to anvil, we'll find a healer,"

"Dairou..." She whispered.

"I'll take you to the chapel of Dibella and..." I trailed off.

"Dairou..." She spoke a bit louder.

"No, that would get us caught by the guards, maybe we could-"

"Dairou!" She nearly shouted, but it was enough to shut me up. I stopped speaking and looked at her. "I'm not going to make it."

I was dead silent, not a word that could make things better existed in my vocabulary. I closed my eyes and tried to wake up from the nightmare, But it did me no good. When I opened them again everything was still the same. Almost as if she knew what I was doing she smiled at me.

"I can't go with you, love." She whispered softly.

"But, I can't leave you." I protested as I leaned closer to her.

"You can't take me with you." She replied.

I didn't want to hear it, much less believe it, but I knew that she was right. The wound in her stomach was not going to let her live long enough for me to be able to get her help, and I had no idea how to use healing magic.

"What do I do now?" I sobbed as I wrapped my arms around her and buried my face into her shoulder.

She put her arms around me in turn and kissed my forehead.

"You have start over," She answered. "Keep going."

"But...I don't want to be alone." I moaned.

"Then find someone to start over with," She quietly retorted.

At that I pulled my head up and looked at her in shock. She was still smiling.

"What do you mean someone else?" I asked, though I understood what she meant perfectly.

"If you don't want to be alone then find someone, Dairou." she continued.

"But-I...I...how could I forget about you like that?" I argued.

"You don't have to forget about me silly," she laughed despite her pain, and pinched my cheek. "Just start over with someone new...make me proud, make Hiryu proud."

Those words were powerful, using my father's name renewed my strength in my will. She slowly reached behind her neck and untied a necklace that had been around her neck the whole time. Understanding what she was doing I leaned my face close to hers and let tie it around my neck. As she did so I noticed her eyes start to close a little, she was fading away right in front of me.

"Dairou..." She whispered faintly when she was done tying the knot.

"Yes." I answered.

But instead of saying anything more she gently tugged at the back of my neck, in response I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers. For a that moment I tried to take in every sensation that comes along with a kiss, since it was going to be our last I wanted it to last forever in my mind so I tried to pay attention to very little detail. The softness of her lips, the feel of her arms tightening around me even though she was growing weak, the warmth of her body as I held her close. I tried to take it all in. After our long kiss I reluctantly pulled back.

I waited for her to open her eyes. But she never did. In fact, she didn't do anything. She was gone forever. The tears that I had shed before did no justice to the pain that I was feeling in that moment. This time, I had lost someone right in front of me. But at least I had the chance to say goodbye.

I gently laid one of her hands across her chest, and held the other with both of mine. I bowed my head and said a silent prayer to Dibella for her. I wasn't so sure if Dibella was hearing me, but it was all I could think of doing.

As I finished my silent tribute, a new thought started to enter my mind. I began to feel a twinge of anger, over what had just happened. Not at myself, but at the soldiers who had taken her life. Particularly, the one who smirked at me before he stabbed her. At first the anger was slow in it's course, but as I started to think about the fact that it was a guardsmen...I started to get suspicious of the men whom I had just killed. But I didn't really care about who they really were, I felt like they should have suffered more before I killed them all. But then it hit me, I didn't finish off Elona's killer...

I slowly opened my eyes and looked at her face one last time. I locked that image in my mind forever, I would never forget her beauty which remained even in death. Then I turned around and immediately spotted the wounded killer, still moving and still squirming in pain. He was writhing from the cuts, and was covered in blood. I picked up my sword, and started walking toward him. As soon as he saw me he tried to cover the fact that he was in agony by forcing a weak smirk.

"Go ahead, kill me..." He choked out with some sort of foolish pride as I stopped over him. "It won't bring her back...ha ha..."

His words had no effect on me, I knew exactly what he was trying to do. I reached down and pulled his helmet off to see the rest of his face that wasn't hidden. It was pale as death and just as ugly, he was a breton like me but the lines from his eyes gave him a tired look that put him generations older then I had ever seen a person age. His hair was long, gray, and thinning, his was way past the age to be retired from the Legion.

It confirmed what I had suspected, he was no imperial guardsmen, he was from somewhere else. I brought my foot up and slammed it down on his throat and started strangulating him. He started to gurgle, reached up and grabbed at my foot with the only hand he had. But he couldn't pull it off, my strength was being fueled by my anger and it was overpowering him. I held my foot on him for several seconds until his eyes started to roll back. I immediately let off to let him breathe, but he was still beginning to faint. To stop him from passing out I stomped on the leg that I had cut earlier to reawaken the pain that his mind was probably blocking out.

"AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!" His eyes flung back open and he opened his mouth while throwing his head back in anguish as he screamed.

I cut his screaming off with a swift kick to the face, leaving an imprint of the tabi(1) I was wearing in dirt all over the side of his head. As he moaned in pain I mounted him for a second to pin his arms back with my knees. With one hand on his neck to hold his head down, I pulled my fist back and, with all of my anger and frustration of the last few days, smashed it into his nose breaking it easily along with several more bones in the rest of his face leaving it very disfigured. I grasping his throat tightly with both hands and I stood up. The adrenaline from the anger gave me the strength to pick him up easily. Holding him in the air with both hands I quickly turned and slammed him into a nearby tree no doubt knocking the wind out of him, after that I let him go and he slumped to the ground. With a disfigured face he looked back up at me.

"Why...(cough) don't you...just kill me." He taunted, but it sounded more like begging.

I drew my sword and slowly held it up to his eyes...

"I will..." I growled. "But I'm not going to make it a quick humane one like your hoping...no...I'm going to make you suffer first..."

----------------------

For all of you who were very found of Elona, please forgive me. But this was mean to happen from the very beginning. This was the hardest chapter for me to write because quite a few of you were so found of her, that I felt bad for writing in her demise...but this is important to the story...believe me.

Oh and L'Ankou, this is not Dragonscale's fault...please try not to take it out on him...


	7. Chapter 7 Letting it all go

Sorry about taking so long in getting this out, I ve had little time with which to work on this, but now I ve gotten a break from school, so now without anymore delay, here s chapter 7. Also I would like to thank you for your feedback.

I must confess that I had not the slightest clue how much you loved Elona until I got so many responses from friends who wanted to kick my ass for killing her off. I actually feel bad for what happened to her now, especially after hearing that at least two of you who have read this actually shed a tear at the end of chapter 6.

Don t worry though, Dairou will have his vengeance, or justice, however you see it. But right now, he s got some healing to do.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I sat on a rock looking out toward the ocean. The sun was setting in the distance and the twinkling light reflecting off of the rapidly shifting waves resembled a blanket of dancing flame that seemed to stretch on forever into the distance.

I contemplated my situation. The last week had been more then just life changing; it was outright life-ending. So much happened so fast, and all for the worst.

I had lost father, without the chance to say goodbye. In a fit of rage I committed murder, and let him down. I had lost Elona, and it was my fault. In losing her I had failed not only her but I had also failed Christophe. Now a wanted criminal, I was being hunted. I had not the slightest clue as to whom, other then that they were desperate enough to impersonate the Imperial Legion's guard patrols just to get to me. For them to have known where I was and to know when I was moving was a complete mystery to me.

I was definitely not ready for what was happening to me. In fact I wasn't so sure if I could go on any longer. I would have learned to cope with father's death; I could have evaded the guards. But to watch Elona die took its toll on my heart. I fell in love for the first time in my life, and it was beautiful. To be allowed to express affection to someone out of lust, passion, and love was a new experience for me. I had never felt so close to anyone that way before. But it was all ripped away from me before I could savor it. Before we left the inn I spent a few days with her, getting to know her and making up for the years that I had let her slip out of my notice. In that time we closed the distance that time had put between us.

I bowed my head and closed my eyes. I felt a hurt that I had never felt before. I knew it was different because I didn t feel it in any part of my body, and I didn't like the sensation. The hurt and loss that I felt was starting to overwhelm me. I reached down at my side and pulled a small dagger, still in its sheath, from my belt.

It was a tanto, a small clone of my katana, but without a guard. I had all but forgotten that I had it. I always kept it on hand mostly as a utility blade, though I never really needed it and it wasn't as well crafted as its big brother. As drew it I began to look at in a new light for the first time in my life. I started to realize how beautiful it was, despite its flaws. It was more rugged looking, with a dull finish and many nicks that I never took the time to file out. But its service to me was obvious. Though I had almost never used it, every little impurity that was imprinted on its edge seemed to have a story. I found myself wishing that I could recall every moment I put it to use, but I had let those memories slip away in a lifetime that I had taken for granted.

After a moment I cast those thoughts aside, and started to think about something that I wasn't so sure I could go through with. I was beginning to wonder if my tanto was still sharp enough to pierce through flesh and bone. Then again it truly wouldn't have mattered; it would suffice as long as I had the strength to push it all the way through.

I had caused it all, left father by himself, turned myself into a criminal, put Elona in danger and let her die. I was the reason for everything that happened, but that wasn't the reason why I was about ready to end everything. It was because I felt like there was no way I could fix it. I would have gladly turned myself in to the Legion if it hadn t been for the fact that it would have been a victory for the Venin family. But to run away would be another crime against the empire that I had spent my entire life training to protect, as well as a contradiction to everything Martin, Jauffre, and my father had raised me on. All my beliefs were being defied by the very circumstances that I had been thrown into.

I knew that I should have waited another day before I made my decision but I was beginning to find that I didn t care, even if what I was going to do would only add on to another in a long list of deeds that I would be forever ashamed of.

I slowly got up on both feet and looked out into the ocean toward the sun which was almost gone over the horizon. The water and the sky seem to blend together almost perfectly in that moment. The orange cloudless sky was fading to a new shade of indigo as it pulled a blanket of stars over the world. The stars were getting brighter as the light from the sun grew fainter. It was a beautiful dance of the celestial heavens that I had never really taken my time to notice before. I didn t know what was overcoming me, but I was starting to feel a deep sorrow for the world I would be leaving behind. The wind started to pick up slightly as the tide started to come in. When the sun was gone I closed my eyes and lifted my chin upward. I took a long and deep breath of the air as the wind gently picked up again. I started to take in the sensation of everything I could. The salty sea air, along with the cooling of the ocean breeze, and the rhythmic crashing of the waves on the beach all seemed to come alive as if nature herself were begging me not to do what I was about to. I started to wish that I had paid more attention to beauty of my surroundings. There was so much beauty in the world that I had not fully appreciated until now. I couldn t help but let one last tear swell up and fall down my cheek. I loved my life once, but that was before it was taken from me. Now I was starting to fall in love with nature right at the point where I was going to end my life. Suddenly the tragedies that I had faced before seemed distant, almost like they were gone forever. But I could never go home again no matter what I did it was over.

I opened my eyes back up and looked out toward the sea once more. There was no more sun, only stars that ended at the horizon. I had lost track of time, but there was no need to keep it anyway. It was all over

I held the tanto up and took one last look at it. It was still beautiful, the nicks, cuts and flaws along its edge only added to its majestic perfection. Closing my eyes I held it outward at arms length with both hands. I said a silent prayer to the Nine Divines one last time then I brought it down

into it s sheathe at my side. I was going to have to sleep on it first. After all, such decisions should be given more thought. I slid off the rock and made a makeshift bed out of my extra clothes and my pack to lie down on. It didn t take me long to fall asleep.

You have improved, Jauffre said as he got up from the ground and started to brush the dirt off of his clothes, but then again I m getting old so I could be wrong.

It was the first time I had ever knocked him down, and I was frightened. I had never been able to do that, whenever I had sparred with Master Jauffre it was always him who took me to the ground or knocked me off my feet. If I were to try to overpower him most of the time he would always punish me by countering whatever I was doing, which almost always left me on lying on the ground trying to figure out how I got there.

I stood in a ready stance just a few feet from him, just outside double arms length to keep out of his lunging range in case he was thinking about surprising me. My caution was rewarded as he immediately darted in my direction. I started to step off line to dodge him but instead he side-stepped with me and drove the tip of this thumb into my side. I winced in pain and lost my focus long enough for him to kick out one of my knees causing me to stumble into his grasp. Before I knew it I found myself locked in his chokehold.

Now Dairou I m not holding back, so you have to find your way out of this one. He warned me as he started to drag me backward.

What!? I gurgled out between steps.

I said you ll have to OMF He was interrupted by my elbow being driven into his solar plexus causing him to let of my head with one arm, but that was all I needed. In one quick motion I dropped low, dragging the other arm with me, and with an underhook through the legs I rolled over taking him with me and landing us on our backs. With a last ditch effort I swung the knifedge of my hand toward his throat to finish him off.

TWACK!

He caught my hand! I looked over at him in amazement to find him smiling while holding my hand just inches from his throat, almost as if it didn t bother him at all. When Jauffre was smiling it was usually bad news for me, especially when we were sparring! Without thinking I started to roll up to my feet, which saved my arm because Jauffre was about to twist it in the same direction that I rolled. Somehow I was able to jerk my hand free before he had the chance to do damage to it, or the rest of my arm for that matter.

Using a hammer like motion I immediately swung my fist hard and fast as my body would allow downward onto my opponent s chest, but I took too long to set up the move and he saw it coming in just enough time to roll out of the way. When the bottom of my fist struck the ground a loud boom could erupted. As Jauffre rolled to his feet I stepped back into another ready stance to face him.

Dairou Dikata! He barked. I stood still

Yes, Master Jauffre? I responded.

He pointed at the hand that I stuck the ground with.

That hammerfist you used, did it hurt your hand? He demanded to know.

N-No Master. I stammered in surprise at his question.

Prove it! He snapped at me, his tone was one of authority rather then anger.

I relaxed from my ready stance and made my way to a nearby tree, then with all my might I struck it with the same hammerfist blow that I had used a second ago. I did not wince in pain at all, in fact, it didn t even hurt. Satisfied with my obedience and my reaction (or lack thereof) he relaxed from the stance he was holding and grinned.

I see you have conditioned your bones as well. He said to me with his tone lightening up. Most soldiers see no point in smashing boards and bricks, but you have never let one aspect of training go unchecked. I congratulate you Dairou.

Thank you Master Jauffre, I try my best. I responded with a bit of pride, I tried to avoid sounding conceded but my tone gave me away.

You try? His tone snapped back to his usual cold nature. Dairou, what is the definition of try?

I was caught off guard by his question which left stunned and struggling to find a response.

Well, um, you make an attempt at something? I accidentally answered in the form of a question.

Attempt!? He repeated. Dairou you like to say you try?

I was afraid to speak any further for fear of making a fool of myself as I had no idea where his point was going to lead me. He must have sensed my confusion because he quickly went on to speak again.

When someone tries, or attempts, they only do just that, they try but does try mean succeed? When he finished I suddenly realized what he meant.

I don t try my best I do my best, I do not try because trying is not doing. If in the end I tried, then I have failed, if I have done, then I have succeeded. I finally responded.

My answer pleased him as he grinned from ear to ear.

Every year you have come to train with me you surprise me Dairou, you have grown in both mind and body, but you are far different from everyone else I ve taught. His tone was light again.

How so? I asked politely

This year, you have proven to me how well you have listened and how well your father has taught. Most of those who join the ranks of the blades begin their blades training after being frustrated with the Fighters Guild or have felt life as a guard was too dull. Never living a life that is dedicated to learning, they are always fighting.

I wanted to ask him what he meant but I had always learned that is was best to remain silent as he spoke, because at the end of his explanation his meaning would finally make sense. It was always best not to interrupt the flow of his lessons with questions, so I did what I knew was respectful and sat down(1). He did the same but in a slightly different posture(2).

Fighting is essential to training because it is real experience in which you learn much, but it always involves putting your life on the line. Fighters will deny it for the sake of pride, and will try to back it up with tales of past deeds. But no matter what, every battle that you fight is one for that is very likely to be your last. The moment you draw your sword is one that you must be prepared to die in, that is why you should only draw it when needed. That is why we spar, to learn how to fight in a way which trades the risk of death for the less severe risk of injury.

He paused and nodded his head once, which meant that if I had a question, that right then would be the time to ask. Indeed I had a question, and so I took advantage of the opportunity.

What about fighting honorably and fairly like what people in the arena talk about? I asked.

A man who fights fairly will die long before a man who doesn t. People who put their lives on the line for the sake of settling a dispute don t live to regret it, and those who do tend to think that they were right. Thus, the idea of fighting fairly is carried on by fools lucky enough to survive by it. Since so few of these people exist, due to obvious reasons, they are thought of as being great warriors, but as you can see a long streak of good luck tends to be mistaken for such. That is not the mentality of a true warrior, it is the idea of a fool whose idea of combat is that might makes right. You know as well as I that the stronger or more skilled warrior is not always the one who is right. That is why we practice tactics that most would call dishonorable and cowardly, even if we do it for the good of the empire. Protecting the empire is far more important than trying to live up to the standards of those who believe in an idea that completely disrespects the basic principles of survival. Does that make sense(3)?

I nodded once.

Good, you understand why as blades we have to keep our identity secret if we do not serve as priests. The last thing we want is to have our agents and our informants getting caught of in the Vanity fairs that come along with the fame from being so unorthodox. Which reminds me...Dairou haven t you ever considered joining the arena in Kvatch? I m pretty sure you would do very well for yourself.

What!? I exclaimed. Again I was completely caught off guard by his strange way of asking questions. I knew it was a trick question but it was best if I didn t try to answer it, but the idea of putting my life on the line for gold was almost damaging to my pride to think about. Never!

Good, He said, almost laughing. I know that is an insult to your resolve, I just wanted to surprise you again.

Oh, well, you did a good job of it.

I know. You can take a rest now for the rest of the morning. But after noon has passed I want you at the archery range that I have set up just up and off the road. Don t keep me waiting long.

Wait, in your last letter you didn t tell me I had to bring my bow.

I know, you re not going to need it for this lesson.

As soon as he said that I suddenly had a feeling that I wasn t going to like that afternoon s training. That feeling was well justified

Hours later I found myself standing at the end of Master Jauffre s archery range dodging arrows with weighted tips.

SHOMP! I ducked just in time to avoid one that would for sure have hurt, it s blunt tip left an indentation in the tree right behind the ideal spot that I just been standing, but it did not penetrate.

Master Jauffre, please! Can this part of the training be skipped at least until later? I begged while hiding behind a rock. Master Jauffre was using arrows with heavy tips that were guaranteed not to penetrate, instead they would leave a nasty bruise on whoever they hit. Luckily he had allowed me to don a set of leather armor to help to keep me from taking too much of the sting.

Nonsense, this is the perfect time for you to practice this, after all it is about survival. He laughed as he fired another arrow at me as I peeked out from behind my rock.

If it hadn t been for the fact that I had learned to trust his wisdom from all of my years of training, I would have assumed that Master Jauffre was a delirious, drunk, senile, and outright dangerous skooma addict who was trying to kill me. However if that were the case he would have actually been pretty easy to take on, but the fact that he was the perfectly sane and kind hearted blades trainer I whose lessons I had grown to appreciate made him even more frightening at that moment. He was trying to make me catch the arrows as he was shooting them at me.

I didn t deny that it was part of my training, in fact, catching arrows would be a very useful skill to have. The problem was that I would have to be skilled in some sort of alteration magic to slow down time or speed up my perception in order to accomplish that.

Come on Dairou, quit dodging and start catching! He shouted to me from several yards down. Quit thinking about it and start doing it or else you ll never be able to defend yourself in a situation like this!

I took a deep breath and looked up over the rock that was shielding me from Master Jauffre s line of sight only to be met with another arrow that bounced off my helmet causing me to fall backwards landing on my rear end.

Oh nice one, I must say Dairou that if you ever got into a fight with an archer that I would have to put my money on the archer! He laughed.

I was not enjoying the lesson that day obviously, and I was afraid that more lessons that were similar were going to follow. Every year I had left my home at Dikata farm to train with Master Jauffre for a week, and every visit had always surprised me with something new and strange that I had never thought I would be taught, this year was the most painful of all the lessons.

If you can t catch then at least find a way to get to me, you have to survive after all!

I was relieved to hear that, because that gave me a chance to get around the impossible task that I thought he was forcing me to undertake. It was a lesson in survival that he was teaching me. It took me that long to realize that he didn't really mean for me to catch the arrows. But either way it was not going to be easy to get close to him. His accuracy with a bow, his reflexes and his experience were all very tough things to overcome at that moment, but what made it even more difficult was his sense of humor.

I got up from the ground after recovering from the stunning effect of his last shot and pressed myself against my cover again. In the next few seconds I began to come up with a plan.

On the other end of the archery range Jauffre knocked another arrow onto his bow string and waited for me to appear again. But his wait was going to be a long one, this time I was going to test his patience. For a few minutes he waited, he knew that is was going to take a while for me to show myself so he didn t draw it back, instead he just kept it almost at the ready.

Several minutes passed by, then several minutes went on to a half an hour. At that point Jauffre finally started to get worried, but then brushed the feeling off, he knew what I was trying to do and decided that he was going to wait too.

I can do this too Dairou! He called out after forty-five minutes passed by.

I knew he wasn t joking about that, he would wait for the next day to pass before moving from his spot, which was fine by me because as long as he stayed there I could execute my plan.

After several more minutes of waiting Jauffre began to smile to himself, just a few more seconds were all that were needed. Suddenly he quickly stepped sideways dragging his bow across the ground tripping me as I attempted to rush him from behind successfully sending me flying onto my stomach

After I landed with a thud he laughed at me playfully.

"Very smart, but it still would have been nice if you were to catch an arrow. You've done well.

Eh, but I didn t take you down. I grunted as he helped me up.

I m not easy to take me down, but if I were anyone else you would have been able do what you wanted at that point, so your lesson is done.

I had no arguments there

You may have the afternoon to yourself; however I need speak with you tonight I have something important to tell you. He added. Then with no other gesture he turned in the direction of Weynon Priory.

I spent the rest of the afternoon honing my hand to hand techniques; I worked up quite a sweat with the paces I put myself through, which was not something unusual for me. That night I searched for Jauffre in the barracks of the priory to avail. I did however meet up with Eronor, the Dark Elf shepherd as I came down the stairs.

Oh, there you are. He said as soon as he saw me.

Any idea where Master Jauffre is? I asked.

Actually yes, he sent me to find you. He answered gesturing me to follow him, which I complied.

He led me out of the priory and down the trail that led due south. The walk lasted for a few minutes until he finally came to a stop on the side of the path.

He s about a hundred yards that way, he said pointing into the woods, he has a fire going so you should have no trouble finding him.

I politely thanked him before he walked away and started in the direction he pointed. After a few more minutes of navigating the forest I finally saw the light of his fire just as Eronor said. When I came up on Jauffre he was turning over some venison over the fire. From that I figured he spent the rest of the afternoon hunting with his bow.

Good evening, Dairou He greeted without looking up.

Evening, Master Jauffre I greeted him back as I sat down by the fire.

Did you have a good afternoon? He asked as I was finally settled.

Yes

Did you learn anything from today s lesson?

Another trick question, as most of his questions were. I decided that since it was a trick question that I should somehow give a trick answer.

I should have learned to catch arrows at some point?

If he found it funny he didn t show it. He just sat down on the stool that he had close by and stared into the fire, he looked like he was lost in deep though as there was almost no emotion on his face. That usually meant that he had something important to tell me, and that it was best to pay attention.

If you had to have actually caught even one of those arrows then I would have had no more need to train you. You would have proven that you were above learning the lessons that I could teach you and would have never needed to learn from me again.

I remained silent, I didn t know for sure if what he said was good or bad. So I waited for him to speak again.

I told you to catch those arrows despite the fact that you weren t able to, you chose to instead to sneak up on me and catch me by surprise. What I wanted you to learn today was survival, and you did very well. He ended that sentence with a slight chuckle as he turned his head to look at me, he was obviously thinking back on the end of that particular lesson.

I smiled a little, and waited for him to continue.

You are a not a boy anymore Dairou, you re a full grown man and you ve proven to both your father and I that you are very capable of taking care of yourself. He had a smile on his face but his tone was still serious, his smile faded as he went on however. The letter from your father that you brought to me told me everything about his illness and Brother Martin s efforts to find the cure if it still exists. Dairou, are you prepared to face the fact that you will be forced to live on your own, without your father to guide you?

That question struck a nerve. There was no way I could hide from that truth, nor was I going to be able to lie to Master Jauffre. I just closed my eyes and tilted my head downward as I felt a tear beginning to form. After a moment of hesitation I finally shook my head in a subtle manner.

I m sorry, I whispered to make sure my voice didn t come out as a sob. But I don t think I can.

I kept my eyes closed tightly and didn t say anything after that. Jauffre spoke once more.

That s the answer I expected to hear, after all you ve never spent very much time away from home. But I want you to know that you will do just fine on your own, your father went through the exact same thing at your age.

He did? I asked after wiping the tear away and looking up.

Yes, I remember twenty years ago after he and your mother ran away. They were both afraid of me due to my anger and disappointment at their mistake of conceiving you, but it was your mother who wanted to run away. They both plotted in secret to do so, but Hiryu was so afraid of leaving that he came to me in the night and told me everything. Like you he was unsure of himself and reluctant to be out on his own. But it was time for him to get out on his own anyway. I assured him that he was going to be alright, it took all night to convince him though that I was not angry anymore.

And were you? I asked, my voice no longer needed to be in a whisper.

Not anymore, besides it would have been for the best if they had left. Earlier that day I had received word from one of our blades agents that Lianis had heard that your mother was pregnant was extremely angry. Not only that, but he was probably planning on doing something drastic. When I told your father of the danger that they were both in he was a lot more agreeable at that point. He came to realize that leaving would help to protect you and Jenna.

Jenna was my mother s real name.

But Master Jauffre, didn t Lianis kill my mother anyway? I couldn t help but ask, I felt like I should have kept my mouth shut but Jauffre didn t seem bothered.

So, Hiryu has finally told you then. He looked me in the eye. Yes, Lianis did kill your Jenna, but that didn t mean that Hiryu failed what he had set out to do.

And what was that?

To bring you up, he wasn t even so sure that he could accomplish that after your mother s death. He looked strait ahead as he reminisced. I remember the night he came back to the priory, he was covered in blood, scared and he held you in his arms tightly. He had ran all the way from Kvatch immediately after killing your mother s assassin.

Wait, I interrupted him with wide eyes. Assassin!? I thought it was Lianis who killed my mother.

Jauffre sighed but not in frustration.

He ordered her killed. That s how he was able to get away with it so easily. Since he would be somewhere else when it happened, there was no way we could prove it, although there has always been no end of suspicion from those who know him personally.

But we are digressing from what I was trying to tell you before. He glared at me for interrupting. You are capable of making your own decisions Dairou. I want you to know that once you leave here, that you will be living on your own. Hiryu and I have taught you all that we can, and you no longer need us to guide you.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes and stared into the fire.

There is just one more thing that I need to tell you. After saying that, he paused as if waiting for my response. But I had none. Of all the lessons I ve taught you, I want you to remember that above all, no matter what empire you are defending, no matter whose life you are responsible for, and no matter what purpose you have placed on yourself you must survive.

For once, I felt like I wasn t going to ever understand what he was telling me. It was common sense to me to stay alive, but it felt like there was some greater purpose in what he told me that I was not going to fully grasp. We spent the rest of the evening in silence while feasting on the venison that he had cooked, I was going to be leaving for the trip home tomorrow and we both wanted time to digest the weeks lessons.

The next day I was about twenty feet out the door when I heard a voice behind me.

Dairou! it was Jauffre s voice

I turned around just in time to see that a blunt-tipped arrow was flying at me in slow motion, as well as the out of focus silhouette of Jauffre having just released the string on his bow. My heart suddenly skipped a beat as I instinctively ducked. But somehow, someway, or by some twist of fate, reality or magic, I found myself kneeling on the ground after saving myself from falling over. One had was supporting me off of the ground the other was holding the arrow, I caught it!

I looked up at Jauffre who was smiling from ear to ear. Without a word he gave a small wave and walked into the priory.

---------------------------------------------

Will Dairou ever truly make sense of Jauffre s final lesson? Tell me what you think.

I love hearing your feedback, and I do try to take in the constructive critique that I am given, just keep in mind that I m still learning as I go. I remember when I had a true plotline written out for this thing once, but it seems the story keeps taking a path of it s own as I write it so that went out the window long ago.

I love logging onto my account and checking the number of hits I have, it amazes me how many of you actually game my story a second thought and read through it. To those who leave me feedback, thank you. To those who don t, thank you for taking your time to read it anyway, I hope you stay with me till the end of this story.

Seizo no Kamai: Kneeling/Sitting posture where you sit on your knees.

Fudoza no Kamai: Immovable Seat traditional Japanese style sitting posture that is often taken by high ranking instructors of the Bujinkan.

Does that make sense? That is a phrase that my Ninjutsu Instructor says at least once every class. I m kind of modeling Jauffre after him in this. 


	8. Chapter 8 I'll come back someday

In the dead of night, the plains were eerily lit up by the aura of the moon. Several miles to the east of where I was sleeping moved an ominous presence that seemed to be headed my way. An empty void of nothingness and shadow rapidly making its way along the rolling hills and tall grass that made up the Colovian Highlands of Cyrodiil. Moving at a demonic speed its presence was felt by both flora and fauna alike. The animals that were in its path instinctively fled in fear, the grass sort of leaned out of its way, even the mighty grizzly bears that populated the valley were all but paralyzed with fear as it passed. The light seemed to shift as if to avoid getting in the way of the shadow that flew through the night.

In minutes it was almost upon me as I lay helplessly asleep, dreaming of the past. As it came into view of me it leapt high into the air and in a silent parabolic path, came down on me.

I jumped up in shock from my dream and was instantly on my feet with my blade drawn. The adrenaline pumped its way through my body like a wildfire and my heart was pounding faster than it had ever done in my entire lifetime before then. Though I was in a ready stance I felt extremely vulnerable as my hands trembled around the grip of my katana. I had never felt fear like that before.

I quickly scanned my surroundings but all I could see was the almost never-ending plains lit up by the moon. I had not moved from the very spot where I had fallen asleep but I felt like I had awakened in completely different place. The pale light made the world look empty and dead from being devoid of any an all color that the day would have provided. Chills ran up and down my spine as my blood ran cold, or maybe it was the air around me that was freezing. I guessed that is was the air since I could see my breath as I was breathing faster to accommodate the speed at which my heart was beating.

Instead of the looming presence of an enemy that I was expecting, I felt a malevolent emptiness that seemed to desire my very soul. I took a few deep breaths and sank low to the ground to reach for my pack, keeping my back to the rock that I was standing on several hours ago to make sure nothing could jump on me from behind. Without looking down I quickly released one hand from my weapon to reach down and pull the strap of my pack up and around my shoulder. By that time I noticed that I could not even hear the sound of the ocean anymore, in fact, I couldn't hear anything. I was hoping that I was just having a nightmare but as my one hand returned to the grip of my sword, the heat from its grip had somehow faded and the resulting chill that shot up through my palm confirmed to my senses that I was fully awake.

My mind raced to quickly find a solution to the problem I was facing. But it wasn't my mind that ultimately decided on the appropriate course of action, my instinct took over instead. I immediately broke into a full sprint toward the east without looking back, leaving the coast behind me as I ran.

I ran for almost a half an hour before I finally saw a campfire in the distance, the first thing that came to my mind was the idea of human company. After all, there was safety in numbers and I was not in the mood to spend the rest of the night all alone in the plains after the nightmare that I just had.

As I made my way still at full sprint to the light I began to make out the shape of three humanoid figures sitting around the fire. The relief I began to feel gave me a reason to slow down to a walking pace as I finally approached the owners of the camp. Huffing and puffing I finally came to a halt on one knee right as I could finally distinguish each of the figures. In the dim light I picked out a Khajiit, Redguard, and finally an Orc. All three of them covered in cheap leather armor.

As I got back up to my feet they all turned to look at me. Right then I remembered my father telling me that bandits were more common in the wilderness them most animals that roamed the plains. Again I was suddenly taken by fear, I cursed myself for forgetting the dangers of the Colovian Highlands and wandering into what was no doubt a bandit camp. I decided not to run back into the night however, I felt like it was much safer for me to take my chances with a threat that I knew how to take on then for me to deal with the nightmare I faced just minutes earlier. Besides, if I ran, they would probably give pursuit anyway.

The Khajiit got up first and pointed at me in a threatening manner with just his finger.

"Who are you!?" He demanded in a raspy voice. "Do you have blood on your hands!?"

I wasn't so sure how to answer that, but I decided that since these guys were probably cutthroats I might as well try to sound like one too.

"Maybe…" I tried to sound intimidating, but it was hard due to the fact that I was still breathing heavy. "Maybe I just killed somebody"

I knew that even though I was telling the truth that they were not going to believe me. Yet I could see that they were still sizing me up just to make sure I wasn't as tough as I was trying to sound. The other two strangers both got up and drew their weapons to show that they meant business. It appeared that I didn't look like much to them, so then I decided to play the opposite part. I tried to feign fear by widening my eyes slightly, but I didn't think that their leader was fooled. Instead he started to walk in a half circle around me, I could see the other two beginning to do the same as if to surround me.

By this time I had regained my breath, but I could feel that I was still tired from being forced to deal with my rude awakening from earlier. This fight would probably be a tough one that I was very unlikely to survive, but that didn't bother me much. At least not as much as the fact that I was starting to feel that same presence from before, somehow "it" had followed me.

_Not now, please not now,_ I begged in my mind. The air started to get cold again as the supernatural force once again made itself known to me. I nearly lost concentration on my soon to be combatants as I felt another chill shoot up my spine. I closed my eyes tightly for a second and reopened them again to try to collect myself from the fear of the--

"That blade you're holding, what is it!?" The Khajiit hissed at me.

It took me a second to realize that I had yet to sheath my blade, no wonder I appeared to be a threat. I made a note to watch my etiquette next time I was to meet with a fellow outlaw.

"It doesn't matter what it is, I'm a murderer too." I tried to sound tough one last time.

"Just what makes you think we like to kill," The Orc barked. "Little boy!?"

That struck a nerve, in my lifetime of hardships and training; I had always hated being called a boy. Even father would have never called me that growing up.

"The last person who called me boy…" I growled through gritted teeth as I turned to face the Orc. "…didn't live long enough to take another breath."

Somehow I had lost my focus to my temper, my anger started to take over as I took a step in the son-of-a-bitch's direction. My actions immediately caused the entire group to converge on me. I rushed the Orc first.

I charged forward then leapt upward driving my knee into the Orc's lower jaw before he could even raise his hammer, no doubt breaking it and several of his teeth. As he flew backwards to the ground my momentum carried me over him to where I was able to land, tuck, and roll away to avoid any attacks that could have came from my blind side. When I rolled back up to my feet I saw that the Redguard had tripped over the Orc and dropped his axe as he attempted to pursue me and was greeting the ground face first, _clumsy idiot_.

The Khajiit however was not as reckless and merely hopped over the both of them and ran toward me. I hesitated for a split second to lure him into making a preemptive strike as he closed the distance. But instead of making an attack like I expected, he stopped just outside of my blade range. My reactions were trained to counter a preemptive strike but he had anticipated that and my counterstrike was wasted. As my blade cut the air where he would have been I could feel him quickly move in to tackle me. But instead I used the twisting motion from my miss to propel my back leg into his stomach sending him flying back a good six feet no doubt knocking the wind out of him in the process.

I quickly turned to face my other two attackers, both of whom were still struggling to get up. If I had time to laugh, I would have, as I watched the Orc backhand the Redguard to get him off. I charged at them both but focused on the just the Orc as he finally made it up to one knee. He had just enough time to raise his blood covered face to see my knee coming.

"Oh sh—" CRACK!

His curse was interrupted as I drove all of my momentum into his face with the end of my kneecap once more. I was sure I had broken his jaw a second ago, but that blow no doubt knocked him out cold for extra measure.

I turned toward the Redguard who jumped back in fright as I made eye contact with him. The fear in his eyes was more then enough to tell me that he didn't want to fight me. I readied my blade into a butterfly (1.) stance and prepared to take him on, but instead he turned and ran screaming into the night. I was stunned at that point; I had never seen that happen before, an opponent run away in fear I had faced many goblins growing up while father and Jauffre had been training me, but none of them had ever showed any signs of yielding, running, or even backing down in any way. I was so taken by what had happened that I was caught by surprise by the Khajiit who shoulder tackled me to the ground. My sword went flying out of my grip.

As we both fell back I grabbed him and twisted around to roll us on our sides to avoid having him climbing on top of me as we hit the ground, which I guessed he would have tried to do given the fact that he seemed to know what he was doing. As soon as we hit the dirt my anticipation was confirmed as he immediately tried to climb on my upper body by stepping on my hip. I countered by turning over and kicking the inside of his thigh to knock him off balance and while still holding him in my grip I rolled us both over to where I was suddenly on top of him. With no hesitation I started elbowing him on the top part of his skull, trying to avoid the fangs that made up a Khajiit's mouth.

As I rained blow after bow on my enemy I noticed the sound of glass being broken behind me. I drove my thumb in my opponent's eye to give myself enough time to look back at the disturbance. It was the Redguard holding a sword and dumping what ever was left of the contents of a shattered bottle that he was holding onto it, his eyes were fixated on me and it only took me a second to realize what he was doing. I quickly rolled off of the Khajiit since I had taken away his sight for the moment to make him less of a threat and quickly searched for my katana. Scanning the dimly lit camp I cursed when I realized that my blade was nowhere to be found.

Raising his sword high above his head like an amateur he charged at me, screaming some sort of war cry at the top of his lungs. Normally I would have not been so startled by such a foolish and obvious attack, but watching him poison his blade made me uneasy and afraid of possibly getting a much more lethal cut then my discipline would allow. I let him close three fourths of the distance before I charged at him head on. As he brought his weapon down I threw up both of my hands to catch his wrists and stop the attack. But his grip on his weapon was so weak that it slipped right out of his hands and bounced off my shoulder leaving a painful open gash. I closed my eyes as soon as I felt the pain shoot through me.

"SON OF A BITCH!" I shouted through clenched teeth.

I opened my eyes back up and made eye contact with my would-be assailant. The fear in his eyes was multiplied as he saw the angry expression on my face while he struggled to free himself from my grip, a grip that was suddenly increased by the adrenaline that was flowing through my veins. I head butted him in the nose, breaking it instantly causing blood to trickle out, then twisted his wrist around, turned 180 degrees and threw him over my shoulder slamming him on the ground in font of me with a loud thud knocking the wind out of him. Dropping to one knee to reach, I grabbed him by his chin and the back of his head and gave a mighty twist.

SNAP!

His neck broke easily with a sickening crack.. I let go of his head and let his body slump lifelessly to the ground.

Looking up I spotted the Khajiit stumbling around trying to shake the pain that was in his eyes. I stood up and stalked my way to him, as soon as I was within arms length I kicked out the back of his leg sending him to one knee. He let out a loud hiss in pain as I stepped on his ankle. I wasted no more time and drew my tanto from my side, then with both hands plunged it into the back of his neck, right at the base of his skull. Blood then started to spill from his mouth as the tip of the blade protruded from between his fangs. His expression was one of horror as he tried in vain to scream after it had cut off his vocal cords, all that came out of him was a gurgle that started to grow weaker as the life began to fade from his body. I attempted to pull my blade out, but instead of sliding out like I expected, it simply snapped in half, leaving me with just a hilt and a shard of what was left.

I turned around to make sure the Orc had not awakened. To my relief he still lay on his back, with the bottom half of his face covered in blood. Good thing too because suddenly I felt extremely tired, as if all the life had been drained from me at that moment. My breath started to shorten as my vision started to fade in and out, feeling sick I started to tremble. Had the poison taken it's affect on me already? I was still tired, from before but this sickness was not natural.

My body started to feel heavy and impossible to move, and my knees eventually gave way out from underneath me. Rolling onto my back I looked up one last time at the sky. It finally hit me that I was going to die there…so much for taking my own life, closing my eyes shut I cursed my luck and my failures for everything that had led up to that moment. I was too dazed to begin thinking about my past, so instead I tried to take in one last view of the stars before my mind slipped into nothingness. But as I opened them I met the gaze of a black cloaked figure standing over me, though I couldn't make out his face I could clearly see his eyes staring at me as the last few seconds of my life began to fade. I didn't truly care who he was, instead I let my perception go as my vision slipped slowly into blackness.

Hours later:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"A bit sloppy, but that can be overlooked for now…"

I didn't know for sure how long I was out. It could have been a couple of hours, maybe even a day.

"…quick witted in combat, even when you're backed into a corner…"

I didn't know for sure if I was dreaming, or if I was dead. All I knew was that there was some slow rhythmic breeze coming from somewhere.

"…it will take years to truly make you worth something, but you have the potential to go farther then anyone before you…"

I realized that the rhythmic breeze was my own breathing, I was alive. I started to feel the perception of the rest of my body slowly materialize into my conscience.

"…even now you still cling to the illusion of right and wrong, but I can see the real you. You are not like most, oh no, you are truly a brother of shadow…"

A voice, I was hearing a voice. I realized that I was following the voice all the way back to reality. It was a clean and commanding voice of a male smooth accent.

"...You've seen death first hand, and have caused it yourself, for now it troubles you, but given time you will come to embrace it."

When I was finally able to open my eyes, I met the gaze of the one who owned the voice. A man in a hood that was blacker then any fabric I had ever seen stood over me. I barely remembered seeing him before I passed out.

"You sleep rather soundly for a murderer." He said with a smile

I started to move a little, my body ached, but I was able to sit up. Rubbing my throbbing head I kept my eyes on him as I made my way to my feet. I started to feel the malevolent ki(2) from before flow around me. It was coming from him…

"I guess you're the angel of death then." I said in an almost sarcastic tone, I truly didn't care what he could have done to me at that point since I had been through so much already. Death was not exactly an unwelcome guest to me anymore.

"The angel of death!?" He chuckled. "No, my friend, I am no angel, but I have brought death, as you have."

"If you're not the angel of death, then who the hell are you!?" I really didn't care, but I wasn't going anywhere at that point.

"You will come to know me in due time my friend. If it's a name that you want, then you may call me Lucien Lachance." He replied. His name did have a Breton tone, but his voice carried an Imperial accent. "But for now, all you need to know is that I am your only friend."

I wanted to tell him off, but at that point I knew that I was going to need all the friends I can get.

"Friend huh, what makes you think we'll get along?" I asked, though I was somewhat interested, I wanted to keep my guard up.

"I come from a family that has quite a bit in common with you my friend. Outcast from society, shunned from the common folk who would rather stick up their nose and persecute us. But we serve a greater purpose that they would not understand." He explained, though it was not a clear yet as to what he was getting at.

"A greater purpose? Sounds more like a cult." I sneered in a sarcastic tone.

"You might call it that. But considering that you are now a wanted criminal with no place to go, you might as well call this 'cult' your family." He went on to further explain. "I can offer you a new life, a chance to start over. However, you will need to make a few...adjustments…to fit the lifestyle that we live."

"Explain." I prompted, but I had a feeling that I wasn't going to like what I was going to hear.

"You will learn what you need to know in due time my friend. For now, I have a task for you; think of it as a sort of initiation if you will."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"On the Green Road several miles northwest of Bravil is a small inn known as 'The Inn of Ill Omen'. There is a man there who's life has been given far too long to continue. Rufio is his name. This man has wronged someone the way you have been, and the only way to bring true justice to him is outside the means of the law."

"What?" I asked in a sarcastic monotone. "You want me to kill him; I think you're talking to the wrong person. I'm not some cold blooded killer like you; you're no brother of mine."

"You say that, but I've watched you take life away in such a brutal manner. The proof is lying around you in a pool of blood in case you have forgotten." He argued with a smile.

"They would have killed me first." I defended. "If you were really watching then you wouldn't seen them surrounding me."

"True, but you gave them plenty of reason. You rushed into their camp with your sword drawn. Not only that, you freely announced you were a murderer. I saw the whole thing Dairou, you made the first move without provocation and you tore them all apart! You showed now mercy and took their lives in such a brutal and painful manner. I was most impressed!"

"I didn't kill them all, the Orc…" I tried to protest, but he was right.

"Oh him," He laughed. "I saw you hit him pretty hard. You've been out cold for several hours, and he hasn't even breathed since you put him down. I don't think he'll be getting up anymore."

"Alright you've made your point, I'm a killer." I raised my voice slightly in anger. I hated being called a murderer, even though it was true. "What makes you think I'll do this for you?"

"Try not to think of it as a favor to us, more like the only hope you have." There was not even a hint of frustration in his voice, despite the difficulty I was showing with him. "You've nowhere else to go, and no place for you is truly safe anymore. No one will take you in now, not even the blades. I understand that you were intending to join them at some point, but I highly doubt that even they will overlook your mistake now. You've probably figured out that you are being hunted by the way. If you have any hope of survival, then it would be with us."

What was pissing me off right then was how much Lucien knew about me. He knew my name, and he knew more about me then most would even be allowed.

"Point taken but how do you…" I stopped myself in the middle of my sentence as I raised an accusing finger, "wait, you know who those men were?"

He grinned.

"The Night Mother knows much Dairou, and I see that you thirst for the knowledge to avenge Elona." He answered. "But for now you must complete the task I've given to you first."

He reached into his cloak and withdrew a dagger still in it's sheathe. He held it out for me to see. It was a beautiful work of art, its sheath was as black as his cloak, and the hilt and the side of the guard was covered in gold decals. It looked both majestic and menacing at the same time.

"A gift, I watched your old one break during your last battle." He explained.

I took the blade from him and examined it. I didn't want to tell him what I truly though of such a dagger. I drew it from its sheath to look at it more, it was double edged, and the guard was also too wide in an unnecessary way. It was not fit for fighting, it looked more like a ceremonial blade to me.

"I'll keep it handy." I replied. Looking up from the dagger in my hands I spoke up again. "So I do this for you, but what did this man do to deserve to die?"

"He killed a young girl in cold blood as she cried for help, right after he violated her. If you don't believe me, you can ask him yourself."

"I'll be sure to do that," I retorted as I sheathed my new weapon and attached it to my belt. "Alright, if I do this, what then?"

"Find a place that is far away from prying eyes, and I will meet you. We will discuss more from there."

I guessed that was a prompt to let me know that we were finished speaking. I began to turn to walk away just before he spoke again.

"One more thing, I believe this is yours." I turned back around and there in his hands was my katana. He was holding it out horizontally with both hands offering it to me. I took it from and examined it to make sure there were no alterations to it.

It was still the same old blade that I knew it as, but I could see that he wiped the blood off of it. He didn't do a very good job though, I made a note to take care of that later.

"One thing though, if I…" I said as I looked up, but he was gone. I double checked my surroundings, but he was nowhere to be seen. I was alone once again.

I took a small moment to take in the serenity that came from being solitary, and to recap everything that Lucien had told me. I wanted to give it some thought before I made my decision, but I knew that all thoughts would lead to just one place. I had nowhere else to go, and I didn't know for sure if I wanted to join this 'cult' that I was being invited to. It was obvious that they were probably some sort of assassin's cult, but if they would at least offer me safety then I truly had no reason to refuse.

Everything had happened so fast however, I was in no state of mind to try and think things through. I hated the idea of being an executioner sent to carry out a death sentence that I wasn't so sure was deserved, but like Lucien said I could ask Rufio. But would he tell the truth? What if Rufio was an innocent man?

As the questions started to swirl around in my mind one thing caught my attention. I was not feeling the same amount of mental objection that I normally would to such an offer. I could still feel quite a bit of a haze in my emotions, it was probably from being out cold.

I looked down at my shoulder and realized that my wound was gone, had Lucien healed me in my sleep? The split in my leather armor was still there, but my wound was healed. I had been healed alright, and most likely the poison was cured. No wonder I didn't die, Lucien had saved my life.

I cast all thoughts and questions aside, before I committed myself. I had one person I needed to talk to. Sheathing my sword I set off in the direction of the Brina Cross Inn. I had to talk to Christophe about what happened. I didn't know for sure how he was going to react, but he had the right to know.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Butterfly stance, in Japanese style sword fighting. It's better known as Kocho, which means well...Butterfly. The blade is held in both hands off to the side and at shoulder level with the tip pointed toward the opponent's eyes. For a better picture of it, think about Ryu Hayabusa's stance from Ninja Gaiden, you know, where he holds it up at his shoulder pointing forward. If you can't picture it, look it up.

2. Ki, the flow of energy in and around you. If you can't understand that, google it.

Well, Here is another chapter that I managed to squeeze out of my schedule. I know it's late in coming for Lucien to arrive in this FF, but now you at least know it's a Dark Brotherhood fanfic other then from my synapsis . Feedback is greatly appreciated. I know that my writing is not perfect, so if you have any thoughts, please only post if they are story related for now. I'm learning how to write as I go along, so if each chapter is better then the previous one, you know why.

Notice I didn't put in a flashback? That's because Dairou didn't go to sleep(notice the connection yet? if not, now you will). By the way, I'd like to know what you all think of the flashback thing. I'm not so sure if I should keep it for motif, or if I should tie up the loose ends from the past as fast as I can so you can stop reading them already(if you hate them) or should I keep it to let you always have a glimpse of our hero's past.

I rewrote Lucien's intro more times then I could count on one hand to get it right...and I still didn't feel I got it right so I just gave up and hurried it along.

I'd like to thank all of you again who keep up with this story. I don't know how much this story means to you at this point, but it's the reason why I stay up at ungodly o'clock in the morning in front of my PC typing away endlessly, sacrificing sleep, homework time, and midnight snacks as I do so. Even if nobody read it, I'd still write it. But for those of you who await each chapter, you make it all worthwhile. I don't know how to thank you for your patience, but I guess adding another chapter soon should suffice. But a special thanks to Charlotte aka L'Ankou for being such a good friend. Domo Oregate Gousaimas. Thank you all, now to start work on Chapter Nine...


	9. Chapter 9 End of all Hope

Finally, after much toil and delay, here it is, Chapter 9. I apologize for the long wait between chapters. A most sincere apology goes to L ankou for letting her think that I had dropped my story, I actually feel like I m writing this for you somehow. I hope that doesn t sound out of line. I can promise you all that I will not be abandoning Blood and Honor. It s just that it takes me this long to get these chapters out.

I was a bit edgy about referring Akavir as being a sort of Asian like continent in the world of the Elder Scrolls. But then I decided to throw caution to the wind. If the Imperials can be British, the Redguards be African, the Bretons French and the Nords be Vikings, I might was well let the Akavir be Asian. I know that the only inhabitants of Akavir are snake people , but keep in mind, if you pay attention; the books in Oblivion will mention that men once did.

Dairou has been referred to as Breton, but his full name is Japanese. Dairou Dikata, and his father s first name is Hiryu. Kinda makes you wonder what their heritage truly is doesn t it? I ll clear that up later on. For now, here s what you ve been waiting on.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was dawn by the time I saw the Brina Cross Inn out in the distance. It was a short walk from where I had just met Lucien, but it seemed to take forever. With every step I felt my guilt and pain return to me. The events of what happened in the last few hours seem to fade with the rising sun as if they happened somewhere in the distant past. I was concentrating more on figuring out how to explain to Christophe everything that had happened two nights before.

I kept in mind that he was most likely going to be angry at me for putting Elona in danger. As I thought about her, her loss started to eat away at my heart again as I made my way closer to the place that she had called home. In some way, it felt like I was the one who killed her.

I was just outside the fence on the back of the Inn when I noticed a headstone beside a tree just on the other side. I didn t want to believe it, but I knew exactly whose it was. I stared at it in disbelief for a moment. I was looking at it from behind so I couldn t see any of the writing. It took me a few seconds to get the courage, but eventually I jumped the fence to get a look at the grave. Ignoring the date my heart sank and my eyes started to tear up as I read its epitaph.

ELONA BRINA

Free spirited in life, now her spirit is free forever.

I slowly dropped to my knees in shock. I started to feel the pain of her loss overwhelm me again. Just as it did the moment that I felt her life fade away in my arms. I didn t even bother trying to fight back the tears, and sure enough they started to pour down the sides of my face. I closed my eyes as I lowered my head.

Elona, I m sorry. I sobbed. I didn t mean to let this happen. I I hope that you can forgive me.

I opened my eyes just enough to read it again, but it didn t change. I could still feel the sting of the reality that she was gone forever and there was nothing that I could do to bring her back or tell her I was sorry. Reaching my hand out, I traced the words on her grave with my finger. I wanted to join her, I wanted to hold her again, I wanted to take her place, but all my years of training and discipline could not change the fact that she wasn t coming back. This was a battle that I had never been trained on how to fight. First father was gone because I left him alone, and now Elona was gone just because I took her with me.

I clenched a trembling fist and closed my eyes again. I started to hate myself for letting her die from my carelessness and stupidity. I started to feel even more hopeless as I started to wonder if I could have saved father as well.

Father, Elona, I started to whisper out loud. I m so sorry for everything.

I felt a presence behind me; I didn t bother looking back since I knew exactly who it was.

You shouldn t be sorry, said Christophe, for something that is not your fault. But if it was, I m sure she would forgive you, as well as your father.

I didn t turn around, instead I just sobbed even more.

The selfless and endearing heart of the Dikata bloodline, there was no one better in her eyes. He added.

It was my fault, I whispered out loud. If I hadn t taken her with me, this wouldn t have happened; I should never have put her in danger.

Dairou, I m sure you did what you could to save her, but it was her choice to leave with you, she knew full well the risk she was taking. He argued. There was only silence in the air after that.

I didn t reply, mostly because no matter what he said I could still feel my conscience telling me that I didn t have to let her come. Endless conflicting thoughts ran through my mind clouding my judgment, and then I remembered why I was there in the first place. I slowly got to my feet and turned around to face him, but my gaze was still low since I couldn t look him in the eye. I closed my eyes tightly and tried to keep from breaking into a sob as I began to speak.

They killed her, I whispered, so as not to make my voice sound so shaky.

I know. Christophe acknowledged. The guard on patrol yesterday came and told me what he found. He tried to tell me that no imperial patrol had harmed Elona, but I know different. Right?

He was prompting me to acknowledge his assumption as the truth since he knew full well that I was with her in her last few moments of death. I could do no more then slowly shake my head as I lowered my chin even more.

I m being hunted; I have a bounty on my head. I spoke with a slight stutter. Someone or something is out to kill me, they killed Elona just because she was in the way.

He was silent for a moment. But then he drew in a deep angry breath.

THOSE GOD DAMN VENIN S! He shouted as he stomped the ground. I knew it, I knew that they were behind that detached unit of guards! I swear to Akatosh that if I ever see another Venin in my life I ll kill them on the spot! Those sons-of-bitches never care about who they hurt as long as they get what they want.

I looked up at him to see him pacing back and forth. I could understand his outburst; he had every right to be angry. But what surprised me was that he was not angry with me. I had never seen Christophe so emotionally upset before, and suddenly I wanted to be far away from him.

But Christophe, it was me who

Stop trying to take the blame! He barked at me while shooting me an angry glare. It was not you who got her killed; I know damn well what is going on. The Venin poison has reached a new low.

Venin s? It then hit me: Christophe thought it was the Venin s who were behind Elona s death. No, that can t be it

Suddenly a voice called out from inside the inn.

Christophe, what s with the shouting? A man around my age in Imperial Legion Armor stepped out and immediately made eye contact with me. My pulse suddenly jumped. Who is this?

Christophe was just as surprised as I was that the guard had not recognized me, but then again he must not have seen my face.

Eh-just a family friend and nothing more He stuttered trying to wave the guard off.

Oh well I see where you need the company of friends during a time like this so the young man started to turn away but then he did a double take on me. Wait an Akaviri Warblade!

His eyes fixated on the weapon that stuck out from behind my back, there was no mistake, he recognized the grip on my katana. He knew exactly who I was.

YOU ARE THE MURDERING SCUM WHO KILLED MY BROTHERS! He shouted as he drew his own sword and with no hesitation he rushed me.

As he ran toward me I quickly dodged his wide open chop, which he was prepared for me to do as his hips gave away the motion for his follow up attack. But he didn t expect me to aerial over his second strike. As I landed I gave a quick thrusting kick into his side as he stumbled from his overexertion, causing him to land flat on his face. I backed up to put some distance between us and drew my own sword, assuming a defensive stance.

He quickly got to his feet and shot me a look of anger. I glared him right back. I didn t know for sure if I really did kill part of his family, but now was not the time to let him take his revenge.

We both charged at each other

BOTH OF YOU STOP IT NOW!

At the last second Christophe had stepped between us. Both of us came to a skidding halt on either side of him.

For several seconds we both stood frozen as he separated us with his own body. He was breathing heavy with emotion and anger, his eyes closed and his mouth open to help him catch his breath. It appeared that he didn t like the thought of a fight breaking out right here and for obvious reasons. He turned to look at me in the eye.

Dairou, I don t want to see any bloodshed here, not today, not in Elona s presence.

I lowered my blade and looked at her grave. Reading her epitaph once again I could almost feel her asking me listen. I looked back at him and nodded. A tear fell down my cheek almost in tribute to Elona. His expression didn t change, but I knew he appreciated my yield.

He then turned to face the guard. Mordous, I don t want you to join your brothers, especially not on my property.

What!? His eyes narrowed in anger at Christophe s statement.

I didn t stutter He growled in response through gritted teeth. I said that I didn t want you to die on my land over something you don t understand.

I widened my eyes in surprise, either that was a compliment to my skill, or a direct insult to his, or maybe it was both.

In either case, Christophe was extremely angry at him.

Dairou He murmured while keeping his eyes on Mordous.

Yes, Christophe?

Get out of here, now... He didn t have to explain further. Before I could take off however I noticed my would-be opponent begin to move as if to pursue me. But before he could even take a step Christophe took a loud and deep breath, I could almost hear his nostrils flare.

Mordous own angry expression was suddenly replaced with a look of fear as he was stared down by the only person who would stick up for me. In any other situation I probably would have laughed. As I started to turn away I heard Mordous start to shout at me

This isn t over Dikata, I ll hunt you down and one day I ll

WHACK!

I sensed that Christophe had lost his temper and sucker punched him to the ground.

IF YOU LAY A FINGER ON THE ONE PERSON WHO TRIED TO SAVE MY NIECE S LIFE, I LL CRUSH YOUR GOD-DAMNED SKULL MYSELF RIGHT AFTER I KILL EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THE GREEDY SELF RIGHTOUS LOW-LIFE, VENIN S WHO S ASS YOU KISS, NOW GET THE HELL OUT OF MY SIGHT BEFORE I DO MYSELF WHAT I STOPPED DAIROU FROM DOING TO YOU!

As I hopped the fence I looked back just in time to see Mordous roll out of the way of Chris s foot as he tried to stomp on him. In fear he took off in the direction of Anvil, not even bothering to pick up the sword he dropped. I kept on walking, not so sure where, but one thing was for certain. I had a lot more on my mind now and not a whole lot of options now.

A couple hours later I was sitting in the shade of a tree, about a quarter of a mile north of the road between the Brina Cross Inn and Kvatch, staring at the ground with my head held low. I was trapped in the paradox of what my mind was straining to make sense of.

Christophe was right to assume that the Venins had something to do with Elona s death but even then, that was just the assumption. Of course, I had assumed that I was being hunted by someone other then the Imperial Legion. So it was only fair that neither of us knew for certain what was going on. But Mordous did accuse me of killing his brothers. That was something I had to think about. Legion soldiers don t go out and hunt people down. Such actions could only be sanctioned by the blades. Only they could actually go out and assassinate someone. But even then, they wouldn t have allowed Elona to be killed simply for being in the way. Such a thing was unheard of.

If Mordous was in the Imperial Legion, then the men in armor that I killed really were in the Legion. None of this was making any sense. Those men clearly had intentions to either capture or kill me, and the fact that they were willing to kill Elona just for being there meant something. The only thing that I could even make a safe bet on is that Lucien knew more then I did. I was hoping that he could give me clear facts, rather then half assed assumptions that had no clear foundation. But in order to hear it from him I had to commit another murder. Something that I wasn t so sure I could bring myself to do, especially since it was against the very principals I was raised on.

I had only one person left who I could try to talk to, though I wasn t sure at all of what to expect from him. I needed to know if there was still a chance I could redeem myself for my mistakes. Jauffre would not be pleased about what I had done, and what it had cost. I knew that much for sure, but I still had some sort of faint hope that I could start over. Though it was probably a lost cause, I needed to know for sure.

I got up from the shade, brushed myself off and started off to the northeast. I had a long way to go, but I had to talk to him.

The journey to Chorrol was a long one. I spent nearly all of the next two days walking. I didn t even stop to sleep. I wouldn t have been able to fall asleep anyway since I had so much on my mind. I kept trying to prepare myself for the moment that I would meet up with Master Jauffre. I had not the slightest clue as to what to expect from him other then his disappointment. Which I feared most of all.

When I was finally in sight of the black road I took a look to the east. In the distance I could see the walls of Chorrol just barely poking up above the tree line. It was early evening at that time. I wanted to make sure that it was nightfall when I went to see Jauffre, and I figured that by the time I made it to Weynon Priory it would be dark enough. So I started walking just a few yards off of the side of the road to make sure I could stay out of sight of any Legion patrols that might have bothered to check the dead end road that was west of Chorrol, which was where I was coming from.

When I was close enough to see the light from the lanterns of the North Country Stables I circled around to make my way downhill. I kept just inside the tree line to avoid being seen by anyone walking along the road. The sun had already disappeared over the horizon by the time I could see the front door to the priory. I combed every inch of my perception to avoid being caught by surprise as I set foot on the dirt path that Master Jauffre and I had used as a training ground for years. As often as I had stood on that little arena, this was the first time that it felt different. I felt like I didn t even have the right to set foot there, and that as I tread across it I was no more then an unwelcome trespasser.

I stopped when I finally made it to the front door. I thought about turning around and running back into the night, but that would have been the easy way out. No, I had made it this far, there was no turning back. If I didn t talk to Jauffre now, I probably would have never had the chance again. I took a deep breath and slowly pushed the door open.

The warmth of the lanterns that were placed on the walls was a warm and familiar sight. I stepped in slightly to be met by Pryor Mabrial who was just coming down the steps from upstairs. I froze in place.

He didn t look surprised to see me, in fact he didn t even stop descending the stairs.

If you re looking for Brother Jauffre he s out in the woods, in front of the fire pit waiting for you. He said as he reached the foot of the stairs. He then made his way to the table in the middle of the dining room that was piled with books. I was caught off guard at the mention that Jauffre was waiting for me.

I was in some way not surprised that Mabrial didn t gasp at the sight of me, even though I was sure that word of what I had done had already reached there. I gave him a silent nod (though he was already immersed in a book) and headed back out the way I came.

I made my way through the woods to the place where Jauffre and I had last spoken the night before I last left. As I came closer I could see that light of the fire that he had made, his silhouette stood out against the small but bright flame with his katana attached to his side being an almost unfamiliar sight save that I had rarely ever seen him wearing it other then for training or ceremonial purposes. His back was to me due to the direction I had approached but somehow I had a feeling that he intended for it to be so. When I was close enough, I could see that he was sitting in Fudoza no Kamae(1). That meant that he was either meditating, or waiting for me. Which I guessed was the latter. I didn t make any noise but I was sure that he knew I was there. So I did the only thing that I could think of.

I stepped up to where I was about a yard and a half away from him and sat down in Saiza no Kamae. Right then I knew was the last time that I would be allowed to sit that way. No longer was I his student, but a runaway and a murderer. I wondered if I was shaming him in some way for even coming to see him.

Dairou, I m disappointed in you. He spoke in a soft monotone voice.

I m sorry Master Juaffre, I gave in to my anger. I replied with shame in my voice as I closed my eyes. I tried to think of the best words I could say, but none came to mind.

Several seconds of silence passed. His next words were right to the point.

You gave in to your anger despite the lifetime of training and discipline that your father and I had raised you upon. To make matters worse, you disappeared only to shed more blood. He added on.

I knew that I had angered him, but his calm was frightening. Although he always did react to every offense with a subtle manner, this was the worst way I could have ever shamed him as a student. There was no telling how much anger and disappointment he was feeling.

Mou konna koto nido to shinai dakara, ore wo yurushite kudasai. (2) I pleaded in the ancient language of the Akaviri, while bowing my head. It was the most appropriate thing I could think of to say. I looked up slightly to examine any kind of body language.

Are you sure about that? He turned his head slightly, but didn t look in my direction. I could see that his eyes were closed.

He knew the answer to that. I could only close my eyes again to fight back tears.

Do you remember what we call the impulse that took over you? He asked me.

The Satsu no Ishi(3), I answered as best as I could.

When you let your anger and hatred get the best of you, or when you develop a lust for ending the lives of others, you give in to it. He didn t correct me, which meant that I was right; he looked back to the fire again. There is a reason why we do our best to avoid it. It is not natural.

This was the final meaning that he was giving to me.

The instinct to kill is in the blood of every living creature, no matter how small or large. This is a necessary thing that must sometimes be carried out to survive. When someone is threatened by another, they may have to kill to defend themselves. But naturally, we don t always have to kill someone unless there is a great need. We kill for food, or to protect, that is necessary. To kill out of greed, is not something that is in our natural instincts. That is why it is not natural. When you give in to it, you find yourself in a state of deterioration. Some people feel guilty, others refuse to accept the guilt on their conscience and substitute the feeling of remorse with pleasure, and thus, they lose themselves. That is the Satsu no Ishi.

Master Jauffre, I am so sorry that I gave in. I spoke up after he stopped speaking. I didn t speak anymore as it was not needed.

I would like to forgive you for your actions Dairou, after all, I know you so much better then that. He continued. But by the law of the Order of the Blades, I am supposed to kill you.

My eyes went wide, and I froze in place. Never had I been so scared in my life.

No one in the Order of the Blades can be tainted with the Satsu no Ishi, otherwise our order would have fallen long ago. I m sure you have already figured out that you can never have ties with me again.

A lump formed in my throat, I wanted to break down. But I had to maintain calm, at least for the moment anyway.

The second Kosei (4) of the blades: Should a fallen brother shed the blood of law, he shall become dead in our eyes and cut down on sight. . I knew that he knew about the men in uniform that I had killed, I was surprised that the word had moved that fast, but it was the duty of the Blades to know things like that before anyone else. Do you know what that means Dairou?

I didn t want to answer, I didn t want to do anything at that point but scream. I could feel the roar rising up in my chest, but no sound would escape my vocals.

Y yes, Master Jauffre. I stuttered with fear and sadness in my voice. I understand what you have to do.

I m sorry Dairou, but the Kosei are the law that must be obeyed. It pains me to reject you more then I can express. He apologized. I never imagined, in all the years that your father and I trained and taught you, that anything like this would ever happen. You would have gone farther in the blades then anyone before you could have. I have no choice but to follow the Kosei. Gomenasai, Dairou.

I...I accept my punishment. I shut my eyes tightly to keep the tears from falling, but it was no use. I began to sob a little, my body began to tremble, but I held still to accept what was about to happen. My entire lifetime began to pass before me, along with the sad irony that just a few days earlier, I was suicidal, and now I was afraid to die at the blade of the who I called Master. I felt pathetic. I tried to shut out all perceptions to keep me from hearing or seeing it coming. All I could do then was wait for him to do what he had to.

Though I was avoiding any and all feeling from my senses, I could still see him standing up, turning around and drawing his blade. A sad look in his eyes was the only sign of emotion that I could see. He bowed to me once as was the tradition, and made his way to within striking distance of me. Raising his blade upward and to the side he readied himself for a killing strike and brought it down upon me.

Dairou, He broke the silence, I opened my eyes to see that he had not moved at all, his back was still to me like before, still in the same sitting posture, and his katana still on his side. I have not seen you since you last left.

It took me a few seconds, but I realized exactly what he meant. Taking a deep breath I slowly stood back up and made an about face. I took a couple steps then looked back one last time.

Sayonara, Kaze no Shinobi. He said, in a bid farewell.

I was taken by surprise. He had given me my warrior name, something that most blades didn t get to earn until well into their lifetime of service. Suddenly I felt a sense of welcome for the first time in days, but it didn t erase the obligation that we both had to follow.

I turned around and said my final words to him.

Domo..aregate gousaimasta. (6.)

Then I took off running into the night, or, for lack of a better metaphor, into the darkness.

Several minutes later I finally found myself at rest under an oak tree, about 100 yards north of the isolationist village of Hackdirt. I wanted to rest at the Inn there, but when I was younger I heard rumors of the village being attacked for some reason. Though the details were fuzzy to my memory, the remaining inhabitants were extremely bitter about outsiders after that. I had decided to rest for the night where I was sitting, it was better to camp in the forest than get on the bad side of Hackdirt. I stayed there mostly because I knew exactly where I was at. I knew nearly all of the forest between Chorrol and Kvatch.

As I lay there staring up at the stars through the ceiling of leaves formed by the trees, I began to get lost in thought again.

I finally found the closure that I needed, though it was not what I had hoped for. I truly had no place to go anymore. Though I knew that Christophe would have wanted me to, I couldn t live with him. I knew that he knew that too, since the guards of Anvil would know my face now thanks to Mordous. I was cast out of being a member of the blades, and now I was a runaway. If I was to ever wander into Master Jauffre s sight ever again, he would have no choice but to kill me.

That was as hard on me as it was him. I tried not to feel rejected by him, but there was no getting around it. After all, it was only natural to feel that way. But I also understood that he had no choice, I couldn t blame him for that. I still felt bitter but I knew that such feelings would fade in time.

Somehow, it felt like I had lost him as well, which was most appropriate anyway. Elona, Father, Christophe, Master Jauffre, Brother Martin, Salvian Matius, all of them, I could no longer speak to. All because of my actions, there was no way to fix what happened. I couldn t turn myself in, and nor could I go back home. There was no home to go to. Not even the Dikata farm that I had spent my entire life on. As I thought about home, I drifted off to sleep, and the painful memory of what pushed me over the edge started to come back to me in my dream.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Fudoza no Kamae, traditional sitting posture that was often taken by those of high seniority.

2. Mou konna koto nido to shinai dakara, ore wo yurushite kudasai, in Japanese it means I ll never do it again, please forgive me

3. Satsu no Ishi, in Japanese it means instinct to murder

4. Kosei, Literally, it means law, but it s also part of the name of Kosei no Kamae, which is another in the Kamae that are a part of the bujinkan fighting system of taijutsu (ninjutsu).

5. Sayonara, Kaze no Shinobi, Literally it means Goodbye, Shinobi of the wind. I m trying to avoid using the word ninja in this story because it s actually a word that didn t even come into used until the 20th century (bet you didn t know that?). Shinobi is actually the more appropriate word for the ninja, what gets me is that some people don t know that shinobi and ninja are actually the same thing. Though there are actually a lot of words that were used to label the ninja throughout history, Shinobi is close to at least 1,100 years old.

6. Domo..aregate gousaimasta, Literally Thank you very much, as we part The ta at the very end of gousaimasta adds a meaning of done to the word.

I know it s not a whole lot, but I had to start this one over multiple times to get it right. I don t even know if I got it all out the way I wanted to anymore. So it s better that I got it out to you now instead of letting it sit in Limbo.

I hope you all enjoy this as much as I have enjoyed doing it. I ll see about getting the next chapter out as soon as I can. You all have probably been wondering how Hiryu Dikata died in the first place. Well, this will finally be answered in the next chapter which I will be starting on promptly. Thanks for the hits and reviews, but more importantly, thank you for reading this with the understanding that this is my very first fanfic, so it will be far from perfect, with maybe a few silent edits to earlier chapters. 


	10. Chapter 10 Blood and Honor

After so much delay, and so much toil, it's finally here, the chapter where you all see where Dairou goes over the edge. I'm still amazed at how many of you all read this. I keep checking the hits that my story gets and I am surprised at how many of you still keep up with the story. Thanks for everything, without you, there would be no story, just words on a document that wouldn't be read.

Well, with no further ado, here it is, Chapter 10 of Blood and Honor:End of all Hope

---------------------------------------------

I was originally headed to Kvatch before I would finally take my rest at the farm, but I was tired from the long journey that I had endured on the way back...and since home was between me and Kvatch due to the direction I was coming from, I decided that I would rather meet father first anyway. He would have been happy to greet me, that and I had one awesome story to tell about catching Master Jauffre s arrow. I knew that father would have had a hard time believing me, but what would have been more important was the lesson that Jauffre was trying to teach me along with it. I knew that father was going to be proud of me, especially for the message that I was going to be conveying to him.

A message from Jauffre that he wanted us to come with him to visit Cloud Ruler Temple this year, to begin the ceremonies of my initiation into the blades.

We were going to move to Bruma immediately afterwards. Before I left father had struck a deal with an odd old man who was looking to buy land. Someone by the name of Slythe SeringiOr at least that s what I remembered his name to be. Father told me that he was from Morrowind and that he was looking to escape the tidal wave of political changes that were causing many problems to the district of Vvardenfell from which he was born in. I didn t really meet him but once, he seemed to have his own sort of beliefs that were a bit more then just out of the norm. He called his religion Shetcombe. I m not so sure what it was all about, but he seemed harmless.

Just as I was in sight of the farm I stopped. A bad feeling suddenly overcame me. I didn t know exactly what it was but it was some sort of aura that I didn t like. The whole world seemed to stand still. The trees that were swaying in the late afternoon-early evening breeze came to a halt as the noise of crickets, and animal footsteps were replaced by silence. I realized that time was almost standing still to me as everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. What ever it was, it was a bad omen. The feeling was so overwhelming that I decided to untie my katana from my back and slid it into my belt on my left side to make it easier to draw. I feared that I was going to need it for whatever was waiting for me.

The oil lamp that father usually had hung out on the doorway was missing, and the door was wide open. Something was definitely wrong, I never knew him to be so careless. Not only that, but he never missed a day where he would hang the lantern just before the sun went down, it was the only strict habit he kept.

Taking a deep breath I began to move forward again, prepared for the worst or so I thought.

As I drew closer I kept my footsteps quiet, with one hand on the sheath of my blade, the other the grip. With each step I swept my eyes over the entire scene, keeping my head still as I made little half steps to avoid stepping too heavily. I made each breath that I took as silent as my body would allow. My ears picked up on every sound that was around me. The sound of the crickets chirping in the evening that I usually blocked out was now louder then ever. All of my senses were heightened at that point, or I at least was a much more aware.

I began to make out some sort of omniscient presence, or at least that was the only way to describe it. Like something was watching me, but I could not see it. A killer intent that was being projected into me was making me feel uneasy, A feeling that I was very familiar with during my years of training. Jauffre used to test me like that years ago. He taught me how to pick up on the Ki of those who intended to do harm. I guessed that this was the first time I was feeling it outside of his training.

It was extremely frightening. The anxiety that I was feeling was great, as I drew closer to home it started to gain in intensity. I could have sworn that death had passed through there. My house didn t feel like a home anymore, the life that our farmhouse usually blossomed with around this time of the year was replaced with a silent and eerie chill.

I was just a few yards away from the front door when I started to pick up on something new, a sweet, bitter, and stale smell. The air was thick, rather very thick for a summer evening. Somehow it was humid when it shouldn t have been. But that scent hung in the air, it was faint but I could tell it was there. It started to remind me of the smell of blood. BLOOD!!!...Suddenly at that thought I broke into a run, I feared for Father s life.

Father!? I shouted as I charged into the front door, but it was too late. No amount of training, or discipline could prepare me for what I was about to see.

I came to a skidding halt in the middle of the living room of our farmhouse. My eyes immediately met the sight of my father laying in his bed, laying face up, with his eyes closed, in a peaceful slumber. I realized what was happening...

I stood there in disbelief. I don't know how long I was still, as I had lost all perception of time when I saw him. When I could finally move again, I inched my way to where he was resting. With each step I took, I started to make out his condition in the dim light. He was pale, and perfectly still. No even a hint of breathing I kept trying to rationalize in my mind that he was just sleeping, and that he just needed rest, but I knew that I was lying to myself. He would never sleep on his back. When I finally stood over his bed, I strained my eyes to fight back what I knew I was seeing. I finally reached a hand, ever so slowly, to feel his forehead, hoping that it would be burning hot from a fever.

But instead, I felt nothing but the cold icy touch that death leaves on it's victims. In that moment, my life changed. I had tried to tell myself long ago when he was first taking ill to be ready for the instant when I would have no choice but to find him gone. But no matter how hard I tried to pound it in my mind, I was never prepared. He was dead, and I was alone for the first time in my life.

A huge wave of fear took over me, leaving me trembling as I withdrew my hand. I closed my eyes just as the tears began to swell up. I started to sob a little then let myself gently begin to fall backwards onto the floor. Laying on my back I cried in silence. I had never felt such sadness and pain, little did I know was that the pain was going to only get worse over the next month or so.

I wanted to try and think ahead as to what I was going to have to do by myself, but my mind was so overwhelmed with loss and sadness that I couldn't think straight. A huge wound in my soul had appeared, and there was no healer in all of Tamriel that could help me at that moment.

For several minutes I let myself lay there in silence, lost in myself with no way out of that painful hellish trance that left me as but a shadow of my former self. When I finally came out of my trance I still felt like I was in a nightmare. I was still hoping that it was just something I was going to wake up from. But no luck, I didn't stop feeling the stillness in the air, the emptiness in the room, and the sadness that seemed be that of the world grieving with me. I slowly stumbled out of the farmhouse in complete and utter shock, and dropped to my knees just outside the door with my head in my hands. With no idea what else to do I just sobbed into my hands.

Out in the distance I heard voices, coming from the direction of Kvatch.

No, I know that it's his handwriting, after all, why would he make a mistake like that when he wrote it? A familiar voice spoke to a companion.

But Lianis, I'm well aware that you've had legal troubles with the Dikata's before, I just want to make sure that everything is in order, so if you'll just... Salvian Mattias paused right as he saw me. ...oh no...

AH! Dairou! I'm glad you're here! Lianis said, I looked up from my hands to see Liani's ugly smiling face as he proudly marched his way down the path. I have good news!

Salvian Mattias, the Captain of the Guard in Kvatch, was trailing behind him as if he were some sort of entourage. However he didn't follow the the enthusiasm that Liani's was displaying I knew that whatever news Liani's had was only bad news. There just wasn't any other kind from that sick bastard. As for his smile, it seemed a bit too happy, like he was proud of something I knew that I wasn't going to like what he was up to this time.

What... I asked as I got up with tears still in my eyes. ...the hell are you doing here!? .

He walked up to me and held out his hand offering it to me to shake with a big grin on his face. I drew my hand away and sneered to show as much disrespect toward him as I could. Salvian flinched at the sight of my expression. He knew full well about our history.

Your father and I settled our differences just before he died, and now... He announced as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a rolled up piece of paper that looked official. ...you don't have to deal with the burden of selling the farm!

What!? I shouted in surprise. I was not in the right frame of mind to deal with what he was about to pull off. If I could have stepped outside of myself at that moment, I would have realized that past that point, there was no rationalizing what I as going to do. He withdrew his hand when I didn't shake it.

Your father and I started talking right after you left, and well...we put our disagreements aside, I offered a truce first of course, but he happily agreed. We talked about old times that we had before you were born, and well, he was so happy to be friends that he rewrote the will just to make things easier for you! I will be getting the farm now, after all, I know you can't possibly deal with the burden of taking care of it yourself! He went on. My jaw dropped and my eyes went wide. I could not believe what had just came out of that no good, low life, worthless swine's mouth. He finally offered me the rolled up piece of paper in his hand. He even asked me to help him write out out a new will seeing as his previous one was not well thought out when it was written.

I snatched the scroll out of his hand and opened it up. It read in a more official tone then Father's real will.

I Hiryu Dikata,

On this date 3E 432, have revised my original will. I feel that I have found a more fitting candidate to my estate when I leave this world. That candidate's name is Lianis Venin of the Venin family. He has been like a brother to me for years and despite my constant antagonizing has found it in his good heart to forgive me for the troubles that I have caused him. I leave everything in my estate to him.

The Dikata Farm located east-northeast of Kvatch

The farming tools found on site of Dikata farm

Any small useful possessions such as stools, bowls, bottles, or dishes.

Any weapons found on site, including:Wooden practice swords, Knives, Axes, Maces, Long or Short swords, and especially the rare Akaveri blade.

I believe that I have given sufficient proof of ownership and that everything mentioned above should be released without hesitation and without any overhead from the probate courts to Lianis Venin. Anyone who wishes to contest this legal binding will shall be fined and given an appropriate sentence to compensate the good-hearted nature of the Venin family whom has been a loyal friend to the Dikata family for generations.

Signed: Hiryu Dikata

I could not believe what I was reading, I wasn't reeling from disbelief so much as I was enraged at the obvious lie that I was reading in my hands. Everything written in the deed about father's intent was obviously fabricated. Worse yet, Akaviri was even spelled wrong. My muscles started to tense, I didn't know anger like that before. The adrenaline in my blood started to flow through me like the whitewater currents, and the hatred that my heart had always known for that man started to burn like a wildfire. I looked up into Lianis' eyes with a look of obvious malevolence.

Yet somehow he his tone didn't change. He was still smiling proudly like he had just triumphed over me. His smile seemed even brighter because of what I had just read, which disgusted me even more. Salvian Mattias noticed my expression and immediately took the initiative.

Wait, Lianis, I'd like to have a look at that will first before you start... He said as he put a hand on Lianis' shoulder who in turn recoiled in anger.

I have you know that I can have the count relieve you of your responsibilities as Guard Captain if you get involved! He shouted at him, then turned to me, put on that disgusting smile again, leaned forward, and held out his hand. Now Dairou, if you will be as so kind as to hand me my blade that you are wearing on your side I can be on my way to having your father's funeral arrangements made.

The burning, boiling, hatred that I felt for Lianis before was nothing compared to what I suddenly felt. He thought I would hand over the one thing that father told me to make sure he never go this hands on...I snapped...

In one quick motion I drove every bit of my fist into his nose sending him stumbling backwards. Going on pure hatred I then drove my foot into his stomach, knocking him back several feet through the air. He landed on his side with a heavy thud. Mattias was so stunned that he didn't have time to stop me. I quickly ran up on Lianis and pinned him to the ground with my foot on his throat. He looked up at me with fear in his eyes for the first time. The blood dripping from his nose was somewhat poetic to me.

This... I growled as I slowly drew my katana. ...is for my FATHER!

I inverted the grip, then with both hands, held it high above my head...

But just as I was about to bring it down...

NO DAIROU DON'T DO IT!! Mattias shouted as he tackled me from behind. We both hit the ground hard. He tried to restrain my hands but my years of training in the grappling arts far surpassed that of the aging soldier. I easily slipped out of his grasp and made it to my feet in a hurry, all without losing my grip on my weapon.

My instinct of self preservation kicked in and I decided to take advantage of the moment and run away. If I had stayed, I would have been thrown in the city's jail and put on trail. I knew that would have meant that Lianis would have won, and I would rather go to hell then let that snake in the grass hold my blade with anything other then his throat.

But just as I disappeared into the tree line I heard Salvian Mattias shout, but not at me.

GET BACK TO YOUR MANOR RIGHT NOW AND STAY THERE, I CLEARLY SAW YOU PROVOKE THAT ATTACK. THIS WILL BE PLACED UNDER A THUROUGH INVESTIGATION UNTIL WE GET DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS, UNTIL THEN, YOU ARE UNDER HOUSE ARREST UNTIL I SAY OTHERWISE!!

I clearly heard it, but my mind didn't perceive what he said other then that I knew where Lianis was going to be.

Later that night...

I found myself hiding in the brushes just on the outside of the Venin Manor. Watching the shadows move in the windows, I picked out the smaller one as Anita Venin, his wife. The one that was throwing it's arms about was obviously Lianis, probably angry that he was not allowed to leave his manor. There was a guard posted at the front gate, but other then that, there was really no one watching it from the outside.

For all the wrong that I had been dealt, Lianis was going to pay with his life. He was the reason I was there, he was the one who had only a few hours to repent for everything he did. Forgiveness, however, was something that he would never know.

For several hours I waited for the silhouettes to die down from the excitement. From what I could tell it appeared that Anita was finally sleeping upstairs, while Lianis was downstairs sitting. I silently made my way from the brush that I had been sitting in to circle around to the side of the gate. The officer on duty didn't seem to be too thrilled about his station, and thus didn't pay much attention. I could sympathize with him, but I had no choice but to undermine his authority by evading his attention. After being able to jump the gate without making a sound I quietly tiptoed my way up to the entrance of the Venin manor. I quickly turned to look over my shoulder to make sure that the sentry had not seen me. Thankfully enough he was nearly asleep standing up. Perfect, if he did fall asleep, there was going to be no way that he could hear what was about to take place.

I gently placed my hand on the doorknob and ever so slowly turned it in a painstaking manner. I was careful enough to not allow the door to make a sound, and my caution was rewarded. As I slowly made my way in and started to close the door behind me, I could hear Lianis in the next room. He seemed to be talking to himself, or, for lack of a better word, rehearsing.

I knew that boy was up to no good! He ranted. For years he did his best to cause me and his father nothing but trouble. Oh...I'm sure that is father did love him, but he had no choice. He can't hate his own flesh and blood! No matter how bad of a boy his son was...always stealing from me in the middle of the night, or...or...or telling people lies about me.

I guessed that he was rehearsing what he was going to be saying to the count in the morning. In a hallway off to my right I could see his shadow pacing back and forth in the study.

He was right where I wanted him to be, out of the way, and out of sight. I figured that Anita had been drowning the sound of Lianis out trying to get some sleep. If she heard him scream then hopefully she would just shrug it off because he was already yelling pretty loudly.

I stalked my way down the hallway toward Lianis' shadow, careful not to make a sound, which was easy to avoid doing since he was stomping anyway. When I finally was just around the corner I knelt down and took a quick peek into the room. Sure enough he was doing exactly what I pictured, except for the fact that he was drunk. He was shouting poorly thought out accusations, flailing his arms about, and pointing at imaginary people. Typical of him, when there's no one awake to take it out on, he was pretending that there was someone to rant to. He looked absolutely disgusting to me. His ugly wrinkled face, snobby voice, stuck-up expression, pride, and tendency for drama only added to the infinite reasons I had for what I was going to do. He turned away from my general direction to yell at an imaginary opponent, which was all the time I needed to make my move. I stood up and boldly walked around the corner. He turned around just in time to meet my elbow as I slammed it into his nose.

His head was knocked back but he couldn't stumble because I suddenly had a firm grip on the jacket he was still wearing. I yanked him back to me and slammed him onto the floor with a loud thud, knocking the wind out of him. Without hesitation I jumped onto him and started pounding my fists into his face with the rage of a wolf attacking it's prey.

I felt all of my bottled up anger unleash itself as I rained blow after blow upon Lianis. If I gave him the chance to beg for mercy, I would have granted him none.

Lianis tried to throw up his arms to protect himself, but that only enraged me even more. So in anger I grabbed one of his arms and rolled off of him twisting it in a sickening position in the process. His eyes went wide as he tried to scream, but it was muffled from his mouth being closed since somewhere in beating his face in I had broken his jaw. Blood sprayed out of his mouth instead. I stood up and with my adrenaline fueled strength picked him up and slammed him up against the wall, holding him up by his throat.

Lianis looked at me with tears in his eyes, almost begging me to stop. But at that point I was beyond remorse, or reason. I hated every bit of his existence and the suffering that he had put father and I through was something that he could never compensate me for.

I slowly reached my hand to draw my katana from my back, as I did so Lianis' eyes grew wider while they watched my hand. I suddenly felt a taint of satisfaction as I watched the fear in his broken and bloody face paralyze him in my grasp. He couldn t scream so much as gurgle and whimper as my blade slowly left it s sheathe.

Finally, I held the blade up to his face, just under his nose, which caused him to struggle with what little strength I had not beat out of him.

You wanted this blade from the day you laid eyes upon it, I growled You thought that you would be able to take it didn t you. Take one last good look at it, it shall be the last thing you see now...this is for the lifetime of pain that you put us through...and this...is for my mother!

I released my hold on him, but before he could enjoy the freedom from my death grip, I plunged my sword into his stomach. He looked up at me with and more tears started to flow from his eyes. No sympathy could be found in my conscienceless at that moment, for I had used plenty of tears during my lifetime to calm myself from every atrocity that he had ever committed to harm my father and I.

Now you will have eternity to think about what you have done... I hissed

The agony in his face only made me more apathetic, I withdrew my blade to his relief, only to drive it right back in, this time, I twisted it to inflict even more damage. Gradually I repeated the motion, he tried to call out for help, but before he could make much noise I slammed my foot into his throat to break his windpipe. A gurgling sound erupted from his mouth causing him to spit up blood. He was in more pain then he had ever felt before, and I reveled in his suffering. I pulled my katana out of his torso and with all the bottled up anger in my heart, I unleashed a fury of cuts and slashes to every part of his body that wasn't already injured, in just a few seconds his entire body was covered in a crimson blanket of his own blood. In one final swipe, I brought my blade down across his throat, slicing his neck wide open causing his head to fall back hanging on only by his spinal cord. He fell backwards on to the floor, staining the entire carpet with blood.

My eyes flung open as I jumped up from the bed. It was only a nightmare from the recent past. Just another reminder of why I was there. I had made my journey to the Faregyl Inn, a small bed-and-tavern that was ran by a Khajiit who was very prided herself more in her Famous potato bread then her business. During the day I had tried to make conversation with her, which was easy except for the part about learning what I wanted. It was hard to get her to tell me about the Inn of Ill Omen when all she wanted to talk about was her bread. Which didn't impress me much by it's taste, but it was nice and filling as it was the first real meal that I had eaten in days. Eventually I got her to tell me about other inns that she knew about, which was also more then I really intended to know. Somehow she knew where just about every other in was on the western half of Cyrodiil. I didn't tell her that I knew about the Brina Cross Inn, just more ties that I had to break if I was going to be able to find my way into a new life.

When I had finished mentally recapping everything I had done in the last few days I stood up from the bed, carelessly letting the blanket drift to the floor. It was night, which was exactly what I had been waiting for, what I had slept most of the day through. I could hear the rain pouring down just outside the window of my room. Perfect!

I quietly slipped on my armor and attached my Katana to my back. After a few minutes of making sure that my armor was in place I stood up and began to walk to the door. As I strode across the room, I couldn't help but turn and look in the mirror that sat upon the dresser. My reflection was different from before, I almost didn't recognize myself. Normally I looked young and curious, or at least that's how I would have described it. But this time, I looked tired and pale. Dark circles lined my bloodshot eyes and I my face was just a tad bit thinner then before, almost as if I had died. My hair was unkempt save for the fact that it was being held away from my face by a headband that I had discovered in my inner pocket on my kimono on my journey there. It didn't have any kind of sentimental value, nor did it look very spectacular, but somehow it gave my appearance a little bit of dignity to what I had quickly deteriorated to.

I made a mental note to get some rest later. Not that I truly cared what I looked like anymore, but a healthier looking face was easier for most people to talk to then a pale and deathly looking creature like me. I figured that I would probably avoid suspicion better if I looked more appealing to the eyes. I pushed that thought into the back of my mind and slowly opened the door to the hallway. It was quiet, like I had hoped. I tiptoed my way to the top of the stairs and stepped into the lobby. The Innkeeper was fast asleep on a bed that was made behind the counter. Judging by the empty bottles next to her head, she was going to be asleep for quite a while. Everything seems to be going almost too well. I thought as I stepped outside.

In the distance I saw a flash of lighting followed by a crack of thunder. The mood for my mission that night was set. Tonight, more blood will be spilled. I thought to myself as I took off in the direction of the Inn of Ill Omen.

Day 1,

It's been so long since I tried to keep a journal. I didn't think I would ever find myself writing my thoughts down again, but here I am. Sitting here in a room at an inn, with a new clothes and finally a bath. It's much more comfortable then sleeping in the woods again or in some back ally, or worse, the sewers. Since I do have a couple days to think about what has happened, I might as well start off with how I got here. Nearly a month ago I was chased down by a bandit who wanted to rob me of more then money that I didn't have. He was much faster and stronger then me and overwhelmed me in an instant, but because I kept struggling he beat me with his club until I was all but dead. I still remember the fear I felt when he pulled my hair and threw me to the ground. The nightmares of being beaten while having my clothes ripped off still haunt me, in fact I am crying even as I try to write this. I'm going to take a moment to catch myself before I continue writing.

Alright, I think I can write without breaking down. Anyway, he was just about to...I'll be back...right before he could do what he was about to do, I bit him. I bit him hard on the neck, it was all I could think of to do from being so scared. When I did, he bled, I had never seen so much blood in my life, he bled all over himself and all over me, and what was worse, is that tried to choke me, but somehow he couldn't, his grip kept getting weak. Then I realized that I must have bitten his artery on his neck because when he stopped choking me, he just lay on top of me. Then it finally hit me that I killed him. I was in so much pain from shock and my broken bones that I passed out.

I awakened to find myself healed by a man in a dark cape. I was afraid for my life at first, until I realized that it was him who saved me. He told me that he would give me a new life and a home to go to, only after he told me to...well, I don't want to talk about that either...I'll leave that out for now, that's an experience I'd like to forget as well, but at that moment, I'd do anything to have a home to come to. What I did was horrible, and I want to forget about it, but at least it wasn't as bad as what that bandit would have had me do...hold on...okay, I think I can finish this journal entry without crying.

Anyway, Lucien told me to make my way to Cheydinhal after I finished my task, which is where I'm headed now. He gave me specific instructions on what to do when I get there, I have to look for an abandoned house, and make my way in. He said that it would be best if I were undetected when I attempt to enter.

I don't know for sure what all the secrecy is for, or why he had me kill that man, but I have nothing really to live for, so I can't really stoop any lower. I have no family, at least none who love me, and no friends, no home to come to, and no possessions to call my own. I hate being alone, I hate what my mother and father did to me, and I hate what I did, but most of all, I hate myself, for being born as I am. I would do anything to have someone to talk to, someplace to call my own. But this is all I have, and I've stooped pretty low in order to have a warm bed to sleep in. I hope that in time I can stop feeling this guilt, but for now, I'll have to deal with it.

Maybe someday I'll start over.

End of Day 1

-------------------------------------------------------------------

I don t quite remember the name that we use for this in the Bujinkan, but it is possible to pick up on the killer intent of those who want to harm you. This was tested on me by Sensei Shidoshi Andrew Russell. Look up any info you can about the Godan Test(5th degree black belt of Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, not me) to get what I mean. I ve tested it myself, and have had it tested on me. I don t know how to explain it, but it s real. Skeptics can leave now or you can test it by sitting down in front of me with your eyes closed while I hold a live blade over you(no threat intended but that s how the test is, course the blade may be live, but it s not sharpened, you would pick up on my intent to kill you and dodge it without the used of your senses)

Well, another month, and another chapter, I hope that I haven't disappointed anyone. This chapter took quite a bit out of me to put together, especially after what I had been going through in the last month or so. I lost a four year relationship all because my girl cheated on me with some guy who she only knew for two days. It was tough, but I'm working my way through it. I'm actually doing very well thanks to the support that I've been getting from a few close friends of mine.

I know that my deviant art page has most of you wanting to know who miss XXXX is, well, now you get to read her journals. You'll get to meet her for sure in the next chapter.

Hope you've all enjoyed this story so far, now you see Dairou falling even farther from his former self now. Gotta wonder though...how far does one have to fall before they have reached the bottom?

I thank you for your reviews and I appreciate the time you take to read this, thanks for everything you guys. 


	11. Chapter 11 Of Vengeance and Innocence

Instead of heading along the road, I had taken the shortcut through the forest to make my way due west, which I in some way regretted due to the fact that it was going uphill the entire way. Treading up the hill took so long that by the time I made it to the Inn I began to wonder if I should have taken the long way around. But I had no time to think about such inconveniences, I had plenty of time anyway since the night was still young.

I found myself standing just inside the tree line outside the Inn of Ill Omen, I could clearly read the sign on the lantern that was hung up outside the door from where I stood. It was a fitting name for what I was there to do. While standing beside the tree soaking in the rain I started to feel a twinge of doubt. Something in my mind told me that I shouldn't have came all this way, and that what I was doing was only going to make things worse for me. I realized that my motivation was only because of the Satsu no Ishi was reawakened within me by my dream of killing Lianis that I had before waking up. It was just me using it as an excuse to take another life. Only this time, I was not there to take revenge.

I thought long and hard about what I was doing and tried to come up with any reason to turn around and leave, but I had none. There was no home for me to go back to, Jauffre couldn't take me in after what I had done, and I couldn't put Christophe in danger of being charged with harboring a criminal. I realized how desperate I had become, but there was nothing left I could do. Given more though I decided that I couldn't have possibly made things any worse, so I took a deep breath and made my way to the front door.

I didn't really have a plan, so I decided to wing it. I wasn't so sure if I would be able to find Rufio first thing, or if I would have to do a bit of searching, for all I know, that man might not have even existed. I didn't have anything more to lose other than my life, and even then it didn't mean that much to me anymore. Just so long as I didn't end up in the Imperial City Prison.

I opened the front door and walked in as casually as I could. Behind the counter sat a tall Nordic man who was writing in what appeared to be a journal of some sort . When he saw me he marked his place in his book and set it off to the side along with the quill he was using.

"Looking for a room for the night?" He asked as he stood up.

"Actually, I'm looking for my uncle," I answered in a monotone voice as I walked up to him to be greeted. I didn't even think about what I was saying, but if Rufio were here, it would probably have worked better then 'old friend', "Rufio, he told me that he might still be here by the time I arrived...is he?"

"Oh, well...I didn't know that he was expecting anyone..." The Nord said with a puzzled look.

"He prefers subtlety if you get what I mean."

"Oh, well, that much is true, he rarely does leave his room." He replied scratching his chin while eying me in a somewhat suspicious manner. I tried not to appear nervous. "Well, I guess it's none of my business anyway, just go to the trap door that way to the private rooms, his is the last one on the left."

He gestured behind me. My gaze followed the direction he pointed, which led to an opening to the basement just below the stairwell that led upward to the regular rooms. I turned back at him and nodded once before I made my way to the trap door.

As I climbed the ladder down I pondered the fact that the so-called 'private' rooms were actually in the basement not exactly my idea of prestigious. I let the thought go as I turned around to walk down the hallway.

There were very few doors, in fact, all the doors were on the left side. I only focused on the one at the end, just like the Nord told me. When I was finally outside what I had been told was his room I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I was mentally trying to prepare myself for what I was about to do. I didn't have a plan, nor did I have any method in mind. My mind started going through many possibilities on what could happen.

**I slowly opened my eyes as I reached up to knock on the door. After a several knocks the door started to open just a little, through the opening I could see a small weak pair of wrinkly eyes looking back at me, I immediately kicked the door open, slamming it into the occupants face knocking him to the ground. I burst into the room, jumped on top of him, pulled out the dagger Lucien gave me and buried it into his throat...**

**I knocked on the door and waited. Just as the door opened just slightly I put my hand on it slightly...**

"**Rufio..." I spoke softly as I was greeted by a stout, and tired old man.**

"**Yes?" He asked as he opened the door all the way, instantly I clamped my hand on his throat causing a gurgling sound to escape his throat. His eyes went wide, his grabbed my wrist but to no avail. I started to push him in the room while maintaining my grip, he stumbled around trying to stay upright as I choked the life out of him. He tripped as we crossed the halfway point in the room, but I followed him to the ground so as not to lose the hold I had on him. I pressed my knee into his chest to pin him down making sure he didn't try to squirm.**

**After nearly a minute, I released my grip. He started to gasp for air and rolled over onto his side. I grabbed his head with both hands, sat him up...then...with a good bend and twist, I snapped his neck...**

I finally opened my eyes after thinking over several methods of how to carry out what I had been there for. I pushed on the door just a little bit...to my surprise it opened right up, the handle wasn't even latched.

"Who...Who's there!?" A trembling voice of an old man called out to me. The fear in the voice gave me a little bit of confidence, and the idea to press for a psychological advantage over my soon-to-be victim. Slowly I made my way just inside the room looking only straight ahead, once I had cleared the door I reached behind me and pushed it shut. Then slowly turned my head to meet the petrified gaze of an old man standing up beside his bed. I met his eyes with a blank stare, I didn't really know much about assassination other then what I had read about in the many books I had read growing up. I was trying my best to imitate the empty cold-hearted mentality that accompanied the most frightening of characters I had read about.

"Rufio?" I asked in a monotone voice.

"Oh...oh no," He stuttered as he took a step back. My demeanor must have worked since he was obviously frightened of me.

"You must have known that you'd be found sooner or later..." I spoke up again as I took a step forward. Remembering that Lucien told me that I could always ask my victim if he was innocent...I decided to give it a try. "Tell me Rufio...do you think you deserve to die?"

My voice was cold, just how I wanted it. Surely it was convincing enough to get him to speak up.

"I'm sorry, I am so...sorry, I told her not to scream but...she...she wouldn't listen...I...I...had no choice..." He sobbed as he dropped to his knees with his head in his hands. "I didn't mean to...kill her...she...she was so young...I am so sorry, she was...she..."

Suddenly...it hit me, this old man was a murderer, running from his own guilt. He was trying to take the easy way out, but now that I had caught up with him...so had his guilty conscience. As I watched him curl over in tears bawling his eyes out, I began to wonder what "she" looked like. He was such a fragile looking old man, I tried to picture him holding a young girl in a dark corner trying to keep her mouth covered lest she cry out for help. Suddenly I found myself picturing Elona as that young girl. I forced myself to look away and closed my eyes quickly.

A feeling of sadness started to take over me brought on by the reminder of my most recent loss. Elona was precious to me...and to picture her suffering at the hands of the stranger in front of me both hurt and infuriated me. I knew that it wasn't really him who killed her, but her fate was just as cruel. He was a killer anyway, he had taken the life of a young woman still in her youth and ran away to hide from his punishment. With that in mind, I didn't find it so hard to carry out what I had came there for anymore.

I opened my eyes just in time to see him lunge at me with a dagger in one hand. He was quick for an old man, but not quick enough. I easily sidestepped his downward stab and as he stumbled past me in overexertion I shot my foot up to kick his elbow causing him to drop his blade. In unison with the clank of his weapon hitting the floor I grabbed ahold of his hand and quickly jerked him into a wristlock takedown.

Just as I intended he hit the ground pretty hard, which knocked the wind out of him. The technique that I used to put him down allowed me to land in a mounted position on top of him, pinning him to the ground. That worked out perfect for me, no screams to alert anyone who could be in the next room. Suddenly I felt a rush of anger take over me, anger from the fact that he was trying to kill me so he wouldn't have to deal with the punishment he was due...most of my reasoning and judgment was lost to a desire to avenge the life that he had no right to take.

My hand went from his wrist to his throat as I drew my sword from my back. Just to keep him from attempting to squirm out from under me I pressed my thumb into his Adam's apple, and since both of his hands were on my own wrist, he wouldn't be able to use them guard against my blade as it tore into his rib cage.

His eyes went wide when it pierced his heart and lung...he looked up at me with a look of desperation.. The agony in his face did nothing to appeal to my lack of mercy that I was showing him. He had escaped his punishment long enough, and now it was time for him to serve his time in hell.

"Now you have eternity to think about what you did..." I growled at him through gritted teeth as his eyes were locked with mine just before giving a final twist for extra measure, which caused him to go limp. He must have not been very healthy to do go down so quickly. No matter, his death was well deserved anyway. At least that's what I told myself.

I slowly stood up and wiped the blood off of my blade like I had done so many times before. I started to wonder if this is the life I was meant for. I had came all this way just to commit murder, instead I avenged the brutal killing of someone who couldn't fight back. _Yes, this death was well deserved, now his victim's spirit can rest in peace._ I thought to myself.

Minutes later I was on my way out of the Inn when the Nord saw me leaving from behind the counter.

"Well that was quick" he said to me.

"Just bringing him something he needed." I replied with a wave without looking back.

It was still night when I made it back to the Inn where I was spending the night. I didn't think too much about being quite this time around, I truly didn't care. My mind was full with the contemplation of what I had just done. I went out of my way to kill again. But I didn't just kill some stranger, I had brought vengeance to a man who didn't feel remorse for what he did.

I moved my sword from my back down to my side as I made my way up to the front door. I wondered if Rufio was only pretending to cry. After all, he did lunge pretty quickly when he saw me distracted for a moment. Either way, it didn't matter anymore. He was dead and no more thought needed to be wasted on it.

To my relief the innkeeper was asleep and thus didn't see me as I made my way to my room. When I finally made it into my quarters I took a deep breath and looked out the window at the blackness that led to the rest of the world outside.

"So..."

SHING!-TWACK!

My katana was buried into the wood beside Lucien's head, had it not been for the fact that I misjudged my distance from being indoors it would have been on the floor at my feet in a bloody mess.

"Don't...ever...sneak up on me again." I growled through gritted teeth as I stared him in the face angrily. I was just a few inches from decapitating that bastard for what he did. He must have been waiting for me in my room that whole time. Or somehow he had followed me all that way after killing Rufio.

"Welcome to the family Dairou...I see that you wasted no time in ending Rufio's life." He didn't seem bothered by how close he had come to death. Instead he only smiled eerily at me, which bothered me quite a bit as I wondered if he knew I would barely miss him. If so, then he was probably some sort of mage, or even worse, maybe a sorcerer. "You have more the proven yourself worthy of joining us. Rufio's death was the signing of a covenant, with manner of execution as your signiture written in his blood as the ink, all with the Night Mother as witness you--"

"Yeah, whatever..." I spoke up to cut him off as I pulled my blade out of the wall. Returning it to it's sheathe. "I killed Rufio, now what comes next?"

"Oh, what comes next Dairou is your new life, your new home. I am sure you will find all that you need to start over in our sanctuary." He answered. "You just have to do a little bit of traveling first."

The thought of running around again irritated me, but I accepted it. After all, whatever sanctuary that he was referring to would have to be somewhere far away or in some place hidden. At least he figured out by then that I like to get straight to the point. Still I could help but wonder if he irritating enough to force me to listen to any more of his cryptic speeches before he would tell me where it was. I looked him in the eye and waited for him to continue..

"You must go now to City of Chaydinhal, east of the Imperial City. When you arrive, look for an abandoned house. There in the basement you will find the entrance to your new home. You will be asked a question. This will be your answer..."Sanguine, My brother"

"So...when I go there, I will start a 'new life'," I began to ask. "what happens if I don't like my new life?"

Sarcasm was my way of showing him that I was still keeping my guard up.

"Oh I'm sure that you will grow to accept it. After all, we are like you Dairou."

"That a fact? What makes you think so?"

"The Dark Brotherhood is made up of--"

"DARK BROTHERHOOD!?" I cut him off again. "You mean to tell me that the Dark Brotherhood is who I just killed an old man for!? I'm working for a group of Assassins!?"

I was shocked...I had just fulfilled a murder contract for one of the most feared groups of Assassins in all of Tamriel. Next to the government sanctioned Morag Tong of Morrowind, whom they were an offshoot of anyway. The only difference being that one was legal and one was not.

Lucien smirked...which made me want to kill him right then and there. But something made me hold my restraint. Instead I just looked away closing my eyes and started to clench and relax my fists.

"Before you make any further judgments, Dairou," He started to explain. "Have you figured out what we **really** do? Hmm? Have you not noticed the circumstances that have put you in the position that you are in right now? We are those who society has rejected, the outsiders that are forgotten or shunned. We do not commit murder for just any reason. We bring the wrath of justice to those who have evaded it. You didn't just kill some old man, you brought forth the sentence that he would have been given in court. Dairou, he defiled and murdered an innocent young woman while she was at the peak of her youth."

I stayed silent. He was still on my bad side, and I didn't bother trying to hide it. I felt used...

"...she was no older then Elona."

I looked up at him and narrowed my eyes. I knew what he was trying to do, the problem was that it was working. He continued speaking.

"Justice like that cannot be brought on by the people who stay locked up by their own laws, I doubt that the Order of the Blades would ever be able to bring about the justice that you have done, especially with their strict codes and traditions."

His words were starting to make too much sense to me. I normally wouldn't have been so convinced, but these circumstances were anything but. Had it not been for the fact that I had no where else to go, no one left who would accept me, and no one to run away with anymore, I would have cut him down with no hesitation. But the fact was, I had nothing to lose anymore. I was desperate...

I closed my eyes and exhaled while rubbing my forehead. It was almost too much for me to take in. I had never heard of the Dark Brotherhood as anything more then just a group of cutthroats for hire, and now I was being told by one of their ranks that they were really a group of executioners for those who had escaped justice.

I took a moment to think over everything I had just learned. There was no doubt in my mind that there was nothing good that could come from lowering myself to being a hired killer. Then again there was no way I would ever be accepted anywhere else. My head started to ache with the sickening feeling of being used so easily. I should have questioned Lucien further. But I did find out what I wanted to know about why I was being sent to kill someone. There could be a chance that he was telling the truth. _I know that I'm gong to regret this._ I told myself as I finally broke the silence I was holding.

"Alright, I'll go." I said just before I opened my eyes and looked back up at Lucien. But he was nowhere to be seen. "Something tells me that I shouldn't have listened to you."

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

It took me nearly a week to reach Cheydinhal, the city on the easternmost region of Cyrodiil just before the mountain range that acted as it's border. Had it not been for the fact that I wanted to stay hidden from any and all possible authority figures I would have been there in only two days as it was a lot easier to navigate the roads then have to work my way through unfamiliar territory.. Over the course of the week I had practiced moving silently with my katana down at my side. It was a little game I made up that involved getting as close as I could to any animal that was not aware of my presence, such as a deer for instance, before it would see me and run away. Normally I had it attached to my back for traveling purposes, but that was not practical for having to draw it quickly. Carrying it down at my side made it easy to reach when I needed it, but was an obstacle as it had a tendency to bump into things that were about waist high. I figured that if I was going to be an assassin that I was going to have to learn how to move silently and freely with my weapon of choice always at the ready..

The trek there was one that was filled with almost complete silence however, along with the painful dreams that followed. They were repeat memories of what I had been through ever since the day that my father told me that he was dying. The constant recapping of such things took it's toll on me emotionally. Yet somehow I did not let myself break down. When I would feel like I was about to tear up again, I would start to simplify my thoughts. I no longer would think about the walk so much as I would try to feel every step that I took. That only made the trip feel longer but at least I was able to keep my mind in other places, especially with my game.

In order to get past the city gate's guards I had to wrap my blade up in one of my shirts that I still carried with me. I kept in mind what father had told me about what would happen if I carried it openly. My katana was a rare thing, and was almost assurance that I would be identified if I was ever caught. At least that was how I would be playing it safe. I knew that word of Liani's murder would stretch it's way across Cyrodiil, but I wasn't so sure what would be known of his killer. It wouldn't have surprised me if Savlian had kept the nature of my weapon a secret, but that was a chance that I couldn't take.

The city itself was an amazing sight. The castle that no doubt held the governor sat up high on a hill within the city walls overlooking the rest of the town down below. A river that flowed underneath the northwest wall essentially split the city in half as it flowed out under the southern border of town.. In the center of that was a covered bridge that connected both sides where I was standing facing south, admiring the glint of the water reflecting off of the sun.

As I took in the beauty of what I was looking at, I noticed something out in the distance on the east side of the river. There was a woman standing in front on an easel, with a brush in her hand constantly glancing at me . I wondered if she was painting me. She was pretty, with short black hair that draped just past her neck. Her apron was stained with various colors of the pigments she had been using to cover her canvas. When I finally decided that she must have been painting me I held my pose. Very loosely though just in case she wasn't including me in her piece. Finally after what seemed like half an hour had passed, I saw her wave to me off of the corner of my eye. I turned my head to see her beckoning to me. Naturally I came to her as I wanted to see her artwork. She smiled as I approached her.

"A Hero's Moment of Rest." She exclaimed. I could only give her a puzzled look. However in response to my obvious confusion she gestured for me to look at her painting, which I was more then happy to oblige.

My intuition was right, I was included in her canvas. She had painted a very well drawn scene of me standing on the covered bridge looking down at the river underneath me.. I was amazed at her talent...but there was one thing that did bother me.

"I'm humbled that you decided to make me your subject, you're an amazing artist." I said with a smile.

"Why thank you very much." She smiled right back with a look of pride on her face.

"But...I'm no hero."

Her smile didn't fade, instead she giggled.

"Why not?" She asked. "You're wearing a set of light armor, and I know that's not a fishing pole wrapped in cloth behind your back."

"Well...I...I've just fallen from...well...I've wandered away from whatever kind of person you'd consider a hero." I stuttered. I didn't know why I bothered to tell her.

"If that's the case, then I'll just call it...A Moment of Rest then," She sighed, but she was still proud of her painting. "That's a lovely necklace by the way. But isn't it really a womans necklace?"

"Oh?" I reached down to my chest and realized that I was still wearing the necklace that Elona had tied around my neck, it's simple design smooth to the touch. I looked down and gave it a good long look. It didn't have any history, nor did it have any significance other then that Elona had tied it around my neck as she drew in her last breath. "Y...Yeah...it is..."

I fought hard to keep the tears from coming, I closed my eyes and traced the design of the necklace with my hand before I finally spoke up.

"Well, it was anyway." I said opening up my eyes, which had started to moisten a little bit.

"Oh," her smile faded as she realized that it was a painful subject for me. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's alright." I replied. "Don't worry about it, she's...in a much better place now."

"Are you sure you're alright?" She asked as I started to rub my eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine." I shook off the feeling and held out my hand. "I'm Dairou."

It took me several seconds to realize how stupid it was of me to give my real name. She happily took my hand and shook it.

"I'm Sigrid." She smiled again as she returned the greeting. "I like to paint as you can see. I've never seen you around town before, are you new here?"

"Yeah, you could say that, I've never been here before." I answered her. "I...well, I'm a warrior fallen from grace."

I had said that last part with a cheerful tone, almost in a joking manner. It was nice to have a conversation with someone for once. I had to be careful about the things that I would talk about. I didn't want her to ever get a clue to the fact that I was a wanted man, so I made a note to choose my words carefully from that point on.

"You mean a former hero fallen from grace." Sigrid corrected me.

"Former?" I cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, you did say that you wandered away from what a hero used to be." She laughed, "Which means that at some point, you had to be a hero in order to have wandered."

Her logic made almost too much sense, though she was right. I would have been called a hero before I became a murderer.

"Well..." I hesitated a bit. I couldn't argue with that. "I guess you're right."

"Then I'll call my painting...'A Retired Hero's Moment of Rest'." She proclaimed.

"If you want to call it 'Hero' anything, that's fine by me." I chuckled. "It's your painting after all."

"Maybe, but it's still got your likeness in it." Sigrid insisted.

"Alright," I gave in. "I want you to put 'Hero' in the title somehow. I don't care how you do it, but just make sure you call it that in some way."

Her smile lit up brightly like a child who had just received the greatest birthday present. She was clearly happy with my answer. "Thank you so much Dairou, you do have the heart of a hero!"

"Just...don't tell anyone about me. I don't want fame at all. Not until I decide to get back into the...'hero' business." I said in a serious yet relaxed manner.

"Alright, but as long as you agree to can do me a favor." She said. I wasn't so sure about the favor she wanted. I had given too many favors in the last few days that led me down the path I was on.

"Fine, what is it that I need to do." I asked, I somewhat feared whatever she was going to ask. But she was an artist, not a traveler who needed an escort or anything like that, I just didn't want to let my guard down.

"I want you to be a model for me sometime." She answered me like a hopeful schoolgirl. "You are perfect for a series of paintings that I have in mind. If you want I'll even pay you."

"It's alright, you don't need to pay me. Just don't spread my name, that's all."

"Don't worry, I can keep my mouth shut. But thank you very much. Just visit me when you are ready to model for me. I live over there..." She pointed to a house that was on same side of the river we were on. "I do paint for a living. So I am always home working on something new."

"Alright, I will." I agreed and made a note of where she lived.

"I have to get going now. After all, I want to frame this one as soon as I can, it's now my new favorite." She started to end the conversation.

"Alright, I'll talk to you later then, Sigrid." I said with a polite smile. Any other time I would have gladly talked to her, she was very pleasant and I did like her artwork. But I didn't want her to be in any kind of danger from just knowing me.

After I parted ways with her I took the necklace off and studied it as I walked. It's design was nothing more then a simple jade green orb. As I looked at it, the memories of Elona started to come back. All those years she catered to me at the Inn, and I didn't notice. I started to feel a bit guilty about not talking to her sooner. It was a bit sad how it took such a horrible tragedy to bring us together, and that it lasted only for a moment. I had known love for the first time, only for it to be stolen from me just as fast as it had appeared. Her last words were still locked in my mind. She told me to 'start over' and to 'keep going'. I wasn't so sure how I would be able start over. Especially considering what I had gotten myself into. She also told me that if I didn't want to be alone, that I should start over with someone new. It was true that I didn't want to be alone, but if I was to be with anyone that would mean that I would be putting them in danger as well. I didn't want to risk hurting anyone else, but the thought of being alone was a painful one.

"OOMF!"

Due to the fact that I was paying more attention to the jewelry in my hands then where I was going I bumped into someone and fell back landing on the ground with a dull thud. The necklace fell out of my hands. When I looked up to see who had fallen with me, my heart skipped a beat.

I was met by the gaze of a beautiful young woman staring back at me. She looked to be about my age, her hair was a very dark shade of blond, but not dark enough to be called brown. She had a round delicate face that was complimented by her pretty green eyes that could have put me in a trance. For several seconds we didn't look away. She wore a common red shirt of a forgettable design, and a pair of trousers that matched in color. Her medium length hair was pushed back behind her ears somewhat showing the soft curves of her face. The crimson shade of her lips reminded me of the roses that I had stopped to admire on my way to Cheydinhal. She was a beautiful as the statue of Dibella that stood in the far west in Anvil.

"Oh, I'm so sorry sir, I wasn't paying attention." Her hurried words broke my trance as she quickly struggled to get up. "I...I didn't mean to bump into you like that."

I in turn reacted just as nervously and started to get up as well.

"No, it was my fault...I wasn't even looking where I was walking." I stuttered in reply. I noticed a book that was on the ground as I stood up. We both reached for it but my hand landed on it first with hers suddenly dropping on to mine. We suddenly made eye contact again, and just like a second ago, it was an extended gaze. Without looking away we slowly stood up as I picked up the book in both hands. "Did you drop this?"

"Why yes...I...did, it's...my...journal." She answered as I presented the book to her, her voice was as soft as her eyes. "Thank you.."

I gave a polite smile, and thus she did the same just before blushing and looking down at her journal. Her smile made my knees weak and as she took her journal from me, her hands brushed against mine, almost causing me to start trembling. I had not the slightest clue why I was getting so nervous, she was just a complete stranger after all. But she was very pretty though.

"Well, I...I must be going." She spoke up nervously, she was a bit tense as well. But from what I wasn't so sure. "I have to be somewhere soon."

"So do I." I said. "Well, I'm off now, it was nice meeting you."

We both turned away shyly but before I could take more then a few steps I realized that I had lost--

"Oh, is this yours?" She asked me, and I turned around to see her holding up Elona's necklace in her hands. Instantly I noticed something that was both strange and intriguing at the same time. Her eyes were the same shade of green that matched the orb.

"Yes it is...I was afraid that I had lost it." I tried not to stutter. "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome...eh" She hesitated.

"Dairou," I finished her sentence. "My name is Dairou."

"Well, you're welcome Dairou." She replied somewhat playfully and reached out her hand for me to shake. "I'm Antonietta Marie."

"Antonietta," I repeated while shaking her hand. "I like that name."

She blushed again as smiled at me, which made her look so cute. "Thank you."

"Ah, you're welcome."

"I like your name too, is it...it's not a native Breton name is it?"

"No, actually, I think it's Akaviri."

"Oh, well...I like it..."

"Thank you..."

We stared at each other for a long time before I got nervous again. The conversation was relaxing, but I suddenly realized the very reason why I was in Cheydinhal. Worse yet, I had given up my name again. I looked down at the ground and put my hand behind my head.

"Eh, I'm terribly sorry but...I...have to get going." I broke the silence, then looked back up. "It was nice meeting you Antonietta."

"Ah, that's alright, I'll see you around sometime."

"Yes of course." I smiled back at her again. "Goodbye for now, Antonietta"

As we parted ways I felt a bit light headed. Not sure of why I felt so strange over her, after all I knew nothing about her other then her name. Antonietta, that was a very pretty name. I would find myself thinking about her as I scouted the rest of the city looking for the house that Lucien told me about.

I had another nightmare, or at least I would call it that. I felt like someone was choking me in my sleep. It was horrible. I don't know how to explain it, other then a terrifying feeling that someone was stalking me in my sleep and trying to kill me before I wake up. I couldn't move, and all I could do was lay there in shock as whatever it decided to let me live. I know that if I were to go to the chapels that they would tell me that I am suffering from another form of Soul Sickness. But that can't be it, because I know that I am sane. At least I think I'm sane. But then again I doubt that they would listen to me. They would probably send me off to a sanitarium, where they would lock me up forever. What do the chapels care anyway?

Today I finally made it to Cheydinhal after finally having an Imperial Guard give me an escort there. It's such a beautiful place. There's a river that flows through the middle of town where a covered bridge connects both sides of the city.

Today I bumped into the most handsome and charming man I had ever seen. When we bumped, I dropped my journal. Instead of scolding me(which I was expecting), he apologized right after I did and politely handed it back with a smile. I had never been seen such a nice smile from a man before. He didn't look much older then me, and I could tell by the way he was built that he probably worked out. Even though he was built like a strong fighter, his touch was so gentle(his hands accidentally touched mine, I could have fainted I was so nervous).. I was so awestruck by him that I had completely forgotten that I caught the necklace that he dropped. It was a lovely necklace, even though it looked like most others I had seen it was still beautiful. I was more then happy to get his attention to make sure he got it back, especially since I got a very good look at his eyes. They were so beautiful. They were a bright bluish grey color, like that of a diamond. I wonder if it were a contradiction for a man to have such beautiful eyes. Oh I can't stop thinking about him. He was so polite and kind to me in just those brief moments that we spoke, no one has ever been so nice to me. Especially after how clumsy I was to bump into him. I wanted to say more, but I was so nervous, I know for sure he could probably tell that I was a bit tense, as I wasn't able to hide it. I'm so used to being swatted for not watching where I'm going, and yet he was so pleasant. I want to see him again, but I don't know anything about him. Oh, but his name. Dairou. I think I asked him for it. I've never heard of a name like that before. It sounded so exotic, just like his accent. He said it was Akaviri. I don't know much about that continent, but now it sounds interesting. Now that I think about it, I don't know anything about the land of Akavir actually. If I do see him again, maybe he can tell me all about it!

Oh I am probably sounding pathetic just for being so worked up about a man I don't even know. But he was so nice and kind to me. I'm not used to that at all, no one's ever smiled at me so politely. In fact, no one has ever apologized to me. He seemed so nice and gentle. The way he looked at me was so...for lack of a better word...warm and compassionate.

Who am I kidding, that necklace that he was carrying obviously belonged to a woman. It was no mans necklace that's for sure. He probably bought it as a gift that day for whoever he was with. I shouldn't get my hopes up for someone like him. After all, if it's too good to be true, it' probably is.

All I can really do though is look for the house that Lucien talked about. There's not much more I can do and it's getting late. If I don't find it, I'll just rent a room for the night. Well, I had better get moving now, the lady by the river is done painting me.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here you go, another in a long line of chapters that should have been up long ago. Of all the one's I've written, this one is my personal favorite. I truly didn't intend to have the meeting between both Dairou and Antonietta go as long as it did, but I suddenly got fanboy syndrome. Well, now you all know who the mystery girl from my drawings is. I'll bet you all probably thought I was going to make another original character...HA...I have too many of those as it is. If I kept running with that I'd probably have too many people in the Dark Brotherhood. A special thank you goes out to L'Ankou for letting me use Sigrid in this story, I can't wait to see what you do with Dairou in yours!

I hate to bring about a spoiler for some of you guys, but for those who like to assume that "the way of a dark brotherhood fanfic is to kill off everyone else but the members"...you may as well save me the bullet and lie down. I don't want kudos for killing off main characters, I've dealt with too many deaths of real people who I've known in the last two years(including the death of my own mother) to enjoy any kind of attention for having it in me as a writer to kill off a character that other readers are very fond of. It just hits too close to home for me.

Well, thank you for your reviews, hits, critiques, non critiques, comments, thoughts and input. I'm going to get some rest, then begin work on chatper 12...heh, it seems that is was just yesterday I was so worried about getting chapter six up.


	12. Chapter 12 There was a Rose

It was dark by the time I finally found the abandoned house. I stood in front of it's doorway that was boarded up wondering how the hell they even made their way inside. After deducting that they must not use that particular doorway I started to walk around the outside of the house to look for any other possible entrance. Lucky for me there was not a soul in sight walking the streets who could have seen my suspicious actions save for a couple guards on patrol, but they took their time and didn't pay enough attention. The house was a rather large mansion, thus it baffled me that such a piece of property was just left to rot. Finally as I made my way around I spotted a window that was left un-boarded, and open. I took a quick look around to make sure that no one would bear witness what I as about to do...I was alone..._Perfect._

With silence as my intention and agility as my ally I approached the window and hopped in without touching so much as the hinges. After making a perfectly silent landing and looking around at my surroundings I realized that I should have brought a torch of some sort, or at least a candle. The place didn't even allow for moonlight to make it's way in. I quietly stood up...

BANG!

...but then noisily fell down onto my rear end when my head bumped a low hanging chandelier. Seeing as how the house was supposed to be abandoned I knew that I wouldn't need to ask why things were out of place. But if the sanctuary for the Dark Brotherhood was to be hidden, I would have chosen a much more suitable place then an abandoned house. It in some way bothered me at how obvious it was. But I had seen abandoned property before, so I made the decision not to ask Lucien about it later.

After several minutes of feeling my way through the darkness, and enduring the unavoidable accidents that followed, I found what I guessed to be the basement door. As I opened it, I was greeted by dim red light that seemed to come from a hallway that led downwards and curved to the left out of sight. Obviously this must have been the path that led to the sanctuary. I made a note to ask how the the tenants would normally get in and out of the place since a boarded up house with only one open window seemed like the most illogical of choices for a regular entrance.

After following the tunnel I came upon what appeared to be a huge stone carving giving off the red glow that was essentially the dead end to the passageway. The it's design was a portrait of a woman holding a baby in her bosom with a dagger in one hand pointed at what appeared to be a group of children who were all raising their hands in fear as a skull in the background seemed to oversee the whole thing. At the top of the scene there was a hand in the center of what appeared to be a sun. I studied the carving for a moment and began to wonder what kind of heart one must have to create such a disturbing scene. Truly it must have taken someone with a dark imagination to go out of their way to even carve such an image. I looked up at the hand in the sun...there was something about it that bothered me. Though the tableau that it was overseeing felt pretty mute, it was obvious as to what it represented. The woman was no doubt the Night Mother that Lucien had referred to, and the children being threatened must have been the subjects of everyday society. Yet my mind still went back to the hand. It's purpose was not as clear, and it's presence in the carving was a bit more then just omniscient. If everything on this piece represented something, then the hand must have been been looked on as a god. I began to doubt that I wanted anything to do with the Dark Brotherhood, but I did make it this far. Turning back was no longer an option, so I had to keep going.

But...how?

Not metaphorically...literally. There was no other place to go, and the tunnel ended here. The glow that I was seeing seemed to come from the very wall itself, but there was no hint as to what I was supposed to do next. I took a moment to think...then finally decided that maybe the hand was some sort of hint, rather then an idol on a questionable work of art(if art was even the word for it). I reached up and placed my own hand over it.

"What..."

SHING!!!!

"...is the color of Night?" Asked a dark and disembodied voice in a hushed whisper.

I had my katana out and pointed at the carving as I stood in Kocho no Kamae. I hated being surprised like that, but then I guessed that this was the question that I was to be asked. So after breathing deeply for a moment to calm myself I slowly sheathed my blade at my side. About that time I began to wonder if it was almost customary for Dark Brotherhood members to speak to each other in surprise. If so it would amaze me if there were a lot of them left alive, seeing as how they would have all accidentally killed each other or died of massive heart attacks.

I cleared my throat...

"Sanguine...my brother," was my reply, just as Lucien had instructed me. A low rumble sound started to emanate from the carving as it started to move. _I see, it's a door._ I thought to myself as it finally opened up inward eventually revealing a well lit room. Hesitating for just a moment, I took a deep breath before taking a step forward. Though I kept one hand rested on the hilt of my blade as I did so just to be ready for anything.

"Welcome...Home." The voice whispered to me as I passed through the doorway. It was ironic though, because I felt like I was anywhere but where I would call home. In fact, I felt like I was wandering into another realm...

If this was the sanctuary, then it felt more like anything but safe. The walls and the floor were made of stone, giving the place an ancient demeanor. Light from a few lamps hanging on every pillar made shadows dance in ways that didn't seem natural. _Sanctuary? This place feels more like a dungeon._ I thought to myself.

"Ah, Welcome Dairou!" A voice called out to me from somewhere. This time I wasn't startled, as I was in some way hoping to see someone. I turned to see an Argonian dressed in black leather armor of a make I didn't recognize walking to me with her arms open wide as if to give me a hug. "Lucien has told us so much about you."

I was hoping that her arms being outstretched was just a greeting, but as she closed the distance, she wrapped them around me and held me like an old friend. I was very uncomfortable with the close contact, and the fact that she knew my name. Even if it was Lucien who told her, I was still not happy with being known just yet. I was a wanted criminal, and criminals like me needed to be not known.

"You are the gift that we have been waiting for Dairou." She whispered in my ear, making me wonder if she was saying that metaphorically, or if it was literal. Somehow I decided that I didn't want to know. After finally breaking from the hug as was customary, she smiled at me.

"I'm Ocheeva, head of the Cheydinhal sanctuary. It is nice to meet you Dairou. I heard about what's happened to you in the last few weeks, and I want you to know that you still have friends with us. We welcome you with the love of a long lost family. In fact, you can think of us as such now." Ocheeva said cheerfully. The word**family**did tug at me inside, but for the purposes of being subtle, I showed now reaction.

"Well, I'm here." I said in a monotone voice. "I don't really know what to say."

Which was very much the truth as there wasn't really any kind of hint as to what comes next.

"It's alright," Ocheeva laughed, "You must have had a long trip anyway, why don't you take some time to get comfortable with the sanctuary, get to meet your new friends and family. They have been waiting to meet you." She gestured around the sanctuary. "The living quarters are that way, and the training quarters are there."

Looking in the general directions she indicated I could see two large sets of double doors that seemed to take up nearly one third of each of the walls.

"Alright, I'll do that." I nodded once.

"I'll be sure to speak with you once we have a task for you my dear brother. May you find safety in the shadow of our Dread Father." She patted me on the shoulder before turning and walking away.

As she made her way to the living quarters I could hear the door to the training room open up. Naturally I turned around to see who it was. There stood before me a massive mountain of armor walking toward me, clanking with every step, and in that armor was an Orc that had the body to fit it.

"It's my new brother!" He shouted just before opened up his arms and charged toward me. Had I not been trying to avoid showing what I was really thinking, I would have tried to kill him as he picked me up and gave me a big hug that made it very hard to breathe. I felt my back crack a little as I was hoisted up for a moment.

"Gogron," A voice called out from behind me. "I think you're choking him."

"Oh?" Gogron looked up at me to see my face starting to turn red. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm just so happy to finally meet you." He apologized as he put me down.

"It's okay," I replied as I started to take in my breath again._Please don't do that again_.

"He's a bit of a plushie as you can see." I felt a hand come down on my shoulder from the female voice. I turned around to see a somewhat plain looking High Elf smiling at me. "Hello there, Dairou. I'm Telaendril."

She held out her hand which I promptly shook.

"Nice to meet you." I answered with a nod.

"You've already met Gogron." She went on. "I'm sure you'll like it here Dairou, we have heard so much about you from Lucien. We were all anxious to meet you, but you took so long to get here that we were afraid you'd never make it."

"Yeah, we thought that you were lost, or worse that you would have been killed by your mark." Gogron patted me on the shoulder. I was starting to get a bit uncomfortable with the affection I was being shown, not because they were still strangers to me, it was from the fact that they seemed to know a lot about me. I was beginning to wonder what it was exactly that Lucien had told them.

I looked up at Gogron and smirked. "Not even close. Though he was armed, he just had no idea how to use his weapon. Besides, an old man is not that hard to take down."

"Oh really?" He replied with a pleased look on his face. "Tell us, how did you do it!"

"Huh?" I was caught off guard.

"Yes, as a tradition we like to tell the stories of how we complete our contracts here in the Cheydinhal Sanctuary." Telaendril explained to me, "Kinda helps to pass the time".

"Well..." I started to feel a bit awkward about being forced to tell the story of murdering a complete stranger. But before I could even try to think of something to say I was cut off by yet another unfamiliar voice. This was one that I clearly recognized as Argonian.

"Hey let's not crowd around the newcomer, you don't want to make him nervous."

I turned to see an Argonian male wearing similar armor just like the one from before coming from the same direction that Ocheeva had left.

"Greetings Dairou, I am Teinaava." He smiled and greeted me by holding out his hand, which I shook as was customary.

"Hello there." I replied.

"Welcome to the Cheydinhal Sanctuary, it's nice to finally meet you. I see that you are a bit awkward about reliving your past few days, but don't worry about telling the story right now. In fact, I assume that you must be tired."

"Actually, I kinda am." I jumped at the chance to exit the conversation for the moment.

"Then head on to the Living quarters, I prepared a bed for you. I figured you'd be in need of some rest after your long journey here."

"Thank you." I was grateful for the opportunity that Teinaava was giving me to get out of the awkward situation and he led me away from the group and into the living quarters where he showed me where I would be sleeping. It was a nice comfortable bed that was just big enough for one person to sleep on.

The conversation past that point was minimul, just something like..."Rest easy." I didn't really pay much attention. I was tired from the day, and I just wanted to lay down. After finally being left alone an getting the chance to close my eyes...I was asleep

988984318468298249841982984191298

I woke up several hours later to the chamber that was just as poorly lit as before. I had not the slightest clue as to what time is was. That was a side effect of sleeping underground, no way to tell if it's daylight. Rubbing my eyes I took a moment to try and remember my dream...which...for some odd reason...I couldn't. I had not dreamed of my past that night. For the first time in weeks I didn't dream of the events that led up to where I was at right then. I breathed a sigh of relief and hoped that was not just a fluke as I sat up and put my feet on the floor as I surveyed the room and saw that I was alone, which was perfect for me since I wasn't very anxious to meet everyone just yet. There would be a time when I would have to make my presence known to all, but I wanted to delay that for the moment. That, and I also would rather meet them all one at a time instead of getting crowded like before.

As I started to slip my shoes on I heard some footsteps from behind the door prompting me to look up in preparation to be greeted by whoever was coming in. The door opened and in stepped man who with pale skin that resembled that of a corpse, and dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. He wore a dark gray button up shirt with black baggy trousers and a pair of leather boots. His eyes were of a blood red tint that made him seem even more inhuman.

In his arms was a small chest that was decorated with various gems and patterns etched all around it.

I stood very still as he made eye contact with me, his appearance was very disturbing to me. In fact, if I didn't think they were just fairy tale's I could have sworn that he was a...

"Vampire..." He said

"What!?" I was startled by his gentle voice.

"Yes, I know what you're thinking, and you're right. I am a vampire, but you have no worries.."

"Oh...I...I see..." I stuttered.

"Hello there Dairou, I am Vicente Valtiari. I'm the one who will be giving you your contracts from this point on." He said to me with a smile as he made his way toward me. I promptly stood up as he handed me the chest. "Nice to finally meet you, no doubt you already know that there has been much talk about you."

"So I've heard." I tried not to sound sarcastic, but I knew that was the only way my words were going to come out as I set the chest down on my bed before looking back at him. "It seems like everyone has heard of me."

"Don't let it get to your head though, there's always a lot of talk about new recruits, as it is not very often that someone joins our ranks." He replied.

"I guess that's why I've been getting such a warm welcome then?

"Yes, both of you."

I tilted my head..."Both of us?"

"Yes, there is another who has arrived, in fact, she was here just a few hours before you were. I'm surprised you didn't know about her."

"I guess no one else said anything." I scratched my chin for a moment then I felt my curiosity start to pick up, I ended up speaking before thinking. "You said 'her', so it's a woman then?"

He smiled, "That's right, she's a year or two younger then you. She's very pretty too..."

"I...well..." I could feel my face turn red at the turn of his smile, I didn't mean to ask about her that way, but it didn't matter as I decided that there was no way I could convince him that despite my youth I was not out trying to hit on all the pretty girls who came around me.

"She's in the training room right now, why don't you get changed and go introduce yourself?"

"Changed?" I asked with a puzzled expression.

He pointed to the chest on my bed. "In there is a set of unique armor that you'll never find in any armor shop in Cyrodiil. It's lighter then leather, more flexible then even chainmail, and black as the void. You're not required to wear it, as it's only customary to give to new recruits, but I imagine that you might actually like it."

I reached for the chest and opened it up to find a neatly folded set of armor that looked nothing like anything I'd seen before. It was very black, just as Vicente had said. I picked it up one of the gauntlets and started to feel it's soft leathery texture. Slipping it in my hand I was amazed at how little it weighed and how easily it moved. In some way it felt like I wasn't even wearing it. My hand could still feel the air shifting when I wiggled my fingers. Nothing like the bulky leather gauntlets that I was accustomed to. I couldn't help but think about how easily moving around would be.

"I see you like it already." Vicente broke the silence.

I looked up at him and gave a slight nod, normally I would have smiled, but I kept reminding myself not to show a whole lot of emotion to the strangers around me.

"It's light..."

"Well, I'll leave you to try it on. It'll be a few days before I can give you your first contract. Until then, go ahead and relax, you don't have to be so tense around here." Vicente patted me on the shoulder once before turning and leaving. "Hope you like blonds."

That last statement felt less like a little joke then it really was. I was starting to wonder if he thought that the "other" new recruit and I would make for a cute couple.

The thought of any kind of companionship suddenly reminded me of Elona. Memories started to fill my mind. Closing my eyes I started to think about the years that I had made my way to her Uncle's Inn and never paid much attention to her. A little bit of guilt started to tug at me, but it was nothing compared to the wave of sadness that I felt as I started to remember those few days I stayed at Christophe's inn. Despite the fact that Christophe had told me that it wasn't my fault, I still felt like I was the one who was responsible for what happened to her. With eyes still closed I slipped the glove off of my hand and reached down to feel the smooth surface of the necklace that she gave me. My mind went back to the moment when she captured my attention for the first time. The embrace that she held me in was the first moment I had that I felt better since my father had died. I missed her touch and longed to see her again, but fate was a cruel mistress.

A small tear slid down my cheek, which was just a small measure of the sorrow that I was holding inside. Truthfully I wanted to drop to my knees and cry her name, or to have been the one to have taken my leave of the world in her place. I sighed to myself and wiped the tear from my cheek for fear that someone else would walk in and see me.

It would have been better to have at least tried to avoid sitting still anyway, so I decided to go ahead and try on the armor. It was almost skin tight, so I had to disrobe just to put it on. I expected to have difficulty in suiting up, but surprisingly it slipped on very easily, conforming to the shape of my body with ease. Instead of the cumbersome and rough feeling of leather, I was greeted by a silky smooth and soft lining that meshed with my skin very well. Standing up to my full hight I looked down at the rest of my body. There were no big protrusions from the padding of the armor.

"Amazing." I said out loud to myself. "Now then..."

I reached under my bed and pulled out the shirt that was wrapped around the sheathe of my katana. Unwrapping it I made a note in my mind to get a cloth made just for the purpose of carrying it around. Attaching it to my side in the traditional manner just before making my way to the training room.

_URGENT, MUST BE DELIVERED TO MASTER JAUFFRE IMMEDIATELY AND WITHOUT DELAY!!!!_

_I've heard reports that Dairou Dikata, son of the late Hiryu Dikata, has gone missing following the brutal murder of Lianis Venin. Now I know that I'm not one to normally criticize my superior officers, but wouldn't it have made sense to keep the Venin family on a short leash? I'm not so sure what happened but I am taking a guess that Lianis asked for it considering his tenacious stupidity and greed._

_I'm not so sure if I can believe the rumors that his son stowed away on a ship out of Anvil because just today the we received two new recruits. One of them a young Breton woman in her late teens and the other is an Breton male of just about the same age. Yes, to your dismay, it's Dairou._

_This confirms that Dairou was indeed the one who killed Lianis, but I'm sure you already knew that. I don't know what he's doing all the way out here on the opposite side of Cyrodiil, but he's here. Lucien must have been more then happy to snatch him up the first chance he had. Seeing as how he obviously wants to gain favor with the Back Hand or his ambitions are elsewhere._

_In any case, I'm sure you would have wanted to know this, as from what I understand he was your student. I await your orders as to what to do. But I do suggest that you don't take this lightly, a Dikata under control of the Dark Brotherhood is a death wish._

_--------------------------VS_

6464a64f6as4d654asd65f65as4dfasdf65a4sdf54as6df46as4df654asd6f4a6s5d4f6a54sdf65a4sdf65a4sdf654asdf

I sighed with a bit of disappointment as I stepped into the training room, the place looked like pretty much any other fighters guild practice hall, complete with training dummies, targets, and weapon racks lining the walls. It wasn't that I didn't appreciate the organization it was just the fact that I had always felt that practice was best when it was done in the most natural of environments...meaning: done outside. It bothered me that the fighters guilds of Chorral, Anvi, Skingrad, and Kvatch all had their training facilities indoors, right in their own guild halls. Something that was both dangerous, and somewhat counter productive since people were confined to such small places and there was little room to simply pass through.

I made my way to a nearby dummy and took a good look at it, it was made of small logs that were loosely hung up by chains that were attached to the ceilng and the floor, with a "head" dangling somewhat on a small chain. The "limbs" and "torso" were covered in cuts, nicks and scrapes. I almost sneered at the thought of hitting my Katana against such a contraption. It would only serve to dull my blade and destroy the dummy. Then a new idea came to mind..._just for practicing with my hands._ I thought to myself. I gave it a gentle push with my hands to see it swing back ward just a bit, then I hit it with a tiny bit of force from my fist as it rebounded back. Eventually I started to hit it a little bit harder, making it rock back and forth on it's chains. I snickered to myself as I practiced making the little strikes and hits I'd grown up learning.

_I see, people don't hit these to train, they do it because it's amusing._ I thought to myself with a little laugh. The next few minutes would be taken up by that simple wooden dummy. But shortly I stepped away from it and thought about how Juaffre would probably be laughing if he saw me bother to use the equipment that I was never accustomed to working with.

Then I thought about those last few minutes I had spent with him. Letting my arms drape to my sides, I remembered what he called me. _Kaze no Shinobi_. That was a name that I felt that I really didn't deserve. Literally in meant "Shinobi of the Wind" in the Akaviri language of the Kamikage, and Shinobi was the name of the group of warriors that operated in secret in the land of Akavair, much like the Order of the Blades, but with many differences. I was given my warrior name long before I had ever done anything to earn it. Yet he felt it was right to give it to me, I knew that it was hard for him to go against everything he believed in to let me go the way he did when we parted ways, but why was I so special that he would even do such a thing? That was a question that I hoped I would someday get the chance to ask him. Course, I knew that he would have probably just killed me on the spot if he knew that I was joining the Dark Brotherhood.

I took a step back and leaned against one of the stone columns that took up the center of the the training hall and sighed, trying to brush the thoughts of the past from my mind. If this was going to be my new home, I was going to have to adapt and not think so much about the past, especially when I was surrounded by people who least of all didn't need to know about it..or maybe they did? After all, Lucien did seem to have a big mouth and everyone here seemed to know about me.

My muscles tensed up slightly at the thought of him telling the people here about my lifetime of training to become a blade and possibly a Moth priest. I started to wonder how much he did tell...I realized that the only way to find out was to ask Vincente. If he was the one who I was supposed to talk to for contracts, then maybe he'd be willing to shed some light on the gossip over me. Not only that, but I was also going to have to learn everything I can about the Dark Brotherhood. Then I remembered the very reasons why I had came here in the first place...Lucien was supposed to bring me to whoever ordered Elona's killers.

I stopped for a moment and shook my head tapping one foot. Too many thoughts were entering my mind, too many things I wanted to know. I had only came here to see how well the new armor moved, and I was too bothered to concentrate on even that.

"I'm going to have to meditate first..." I said to myself as I stepped away from the column and turned toward the door. I heard some footsteps on the other side and so I decided to be courteous and open it for whoever was coming in as I was going out.

Reaching down for the handle I prayed to Akatosh that whoever I would be greeting would not want to start a conversation with me. As I pulled the big door open, I was greeted by a sight that was far worse then just another long winded Dark Brotherhood assassin.

There standing in the doorway was the beautiful girl who I had met yesterday...Antoinetta.

We both stood still when our eyes met, almost as if paralyzed. The look on her face was one of obvious surprise, my eyes were wide from being caught off guard as well. I definitely didn't expect to see her...

"Oh...um...hello" She said nervously while looking up at me, I quickly shook off the shock and tried to think of anything to say.

"Hello there" That wasn't very profound, but was the most appropriate thing to say.

"I...uh...I didn't expect to see you here..." Antoinetta stuttered as if she were trying to think of something to say.

"Ah...me neither..." I wanted to take off and run out of the sanctuary as fast as I could.

For a moment there was an awkward silence as we studied each other. _Please...you can't be the other new recruit...you're too sweet to be murderer._ I thought to myself. Finally I cleared my throat to break the pause.

"I...well, I guess you must be the other new member." I spoke up, wishing I hadn't even carried the conversation on.

"Why...yes...I am..." She seemed to be slightly more relaxed, I wondered if she knew that I was the other new recruit. "I...I guess since I've met everyone else...you...just got here too?"

_Good guess._

"Yes...that would be me." I admitted as my face started to turn red slightly. "How do you like the sanctuary so far?"

Antoinetta bit her lower lip for a moment just before she answered.

"Well, I don't really know what to make of it quite yet, I've never lived in a place like this." She answered in a much more relaxed and comfortable tone.

"Neither have I," I too felt a bit more at ease as we started to slip into the conversation. "but I guess we'll get used to it."

"Yes...I guess we will." She answered and a smile started to appear on her face.

I started to smile back, but then stopped myself when I realized what was happening. _No, not now, I can't have this...there's too much I have to figure out at the moment._ I had to get out of there as soon as I could to a place where I could take some time to think things over.

"Well, in the mean time, I have to get going, there's some things I need to take care of." I said as I patted my katana that was still on my side. "These blades don't sharpen themselves."

"Oh...alright...well, I'll talk to you later then." Her smile faded and she nodded once in acknowledgment.

"Likewise." I nodded back and walked around her toward the living quarters. I had lied to her, my weapon was in perfect condition. It was already cleaned during my journey to Cheydinhal and since I had not been forced to use it as of late, there was absolutely no reason to believe it needed sharpened.

Once in the living quarters I took a moment to untie my katana from my side before wrapping it up. Since I didn't want it to be moved or bothered I knelt down and carefully slid it under my bed. Somewhere from the corner of the room I could hear someone chuckle quietly to themselves. Looking over my shoulder I could see Telaendril leaning back in a chair with one knee propped up against a table while reading a copy of _The Lusty Argonian Maid_.

I sighed to myself in disappointment as the room felt more like a big lounge then some sort of barracks. I wanted to be alone...no...I **had**to be alone. I got up from where I was kneeling and sat on the bed with my eyes to the floor. _Where can I have a moment of solitude in this place..._I thought to myself. _Wait, not here, the house above me._ I stood up and started to make my way to the Sanctuary entrance, hoping not to bump into anyone else along the way. Luckily I was left alone...

A few minutes later I was in the attic of the abandoned house laying on my back looking up at the sky through a huge gap in the boards that were supposed to hold it shut. I was finally alone, and had room to think. But damn did I have so much to think about.

Jauffre had disowned me and was now honor bound to kill me on sight, father was dead, and the home that I had grown up in was now probably in the probate courts being transferred to one of Lianis' cousins, I still had no clue as to why those "guards" killed Elona. Then a thought hit me..._Those men were after me, how did they know where I was...wait..._Suddenly I remembered the soldier who attacked me...Mordus I sat up and scratched my chin as the realization hit me. He said something about me killing his brothers, and Christophe believed that it was a detached unit of guards that had been sent out. _Could those men really have been Imperial Legion?_ I asked myself. It was only logical to assume that I had a bounty on my head and that I was being hunted. But none of it was making sense...maybe Christophe was right and the guards were a hit squad sent by Lianis' nephew in Anvil. _But that still doesn't explain how they knew where I was, the only one's who could have possibly known were...no...not Uncle Chris...no..._I shook my head at the possibility that Christophe could have told anyone the Legion I was. After all, he was a childhood friend of my father, but he was the only one who could have..._could he?_

I tried to tell myself that it wasn't him...but then I remembered one thing that was more then enough proof that he was faithful. The emotion he had showed the last time I saw him, no one could fake the sadness and anger that made him lose his temper. I couldn't think of any other motivation that he would have had for punching Mordus in the face like that. I sighed in relief at the unconfirmed thought that Christophe did not sell me out, especially when he was letting Elona come with me. But then...

"Who the hell was it?" I asked myself out loud as I laid back down and stared at the ceiling. I let question stir in my head for a few minutes before finally giving up with a sigh.

I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind, as it had been strained enough. Then my mind finally came back to the only pleasant thing I had to think about that morning, my conversation with Antoinetta.

Though it was brief and awkward, it was still pleasant. I started to feel a bit guilty for leaving her hanging like that

The edges of my lips turned up slightly when I thought about her smile. She was very pretty...even if our first conversation was awkward, it was still nice to talk to her. I found a small measure of peace at that moment.

12312123123123123123123123265465651549854984698496874968484974984798749687498749

I've finally found my new home, it may be somewhat like a dungeon, but it's full of people who are so welcoming! I'm so excited, I have a place that I can call home, I'm trembling as I write this, but I've never been so overjoyed in my life! I have a family now, I can't believe it! Fate has been so kind to me. I didn't get the chance to write yesterday because I was so busy with getting to know this place, and my new brothers and sisters.

Ocheeva was the first one I met yesterday, she was so sweet to me. She greeted me with such a warm hug, I at first was scared, but I trusted in what Lucien had told me and I wasn't so afraid anymore. She's the one person just below Lucien in this sanctuary, since he's out doing duties for the Black Hand and can't always be here. She's so nice.

Her brother Teinaava is just as friendly too. The Bosmer is a bit funny too, she has such a nice smile, that's Telaendril. Gogron the orc is a big lug, in fact, sometimes he's a bit too big of a lug, he likes to hug really hard. Vicente is the one who I'll be accepting contracts from. He frightened me at first because he was a vampire, but he assured me that he was not going to harm me. Though I am still afraid of him, I hope that will wear off in time. The one person though who seemed to be rude though was a Kajiit by the name of M'raaj-Dar, he didn't seem to be mad a me per se, but it seemed like he was angry at someone else. I thought I heard him complaining about the other new member. Speaking of...

The other new member is the one who I think is the best thing about being here. He is none other then Dairou, the man who I met yesterday by the bridge. The one with the manners, the smile, the handsome face. I bumped into him for the first time just a few minutes ago while I into the training room. I was so happy to see that pretty face again, but...he seemed...different. He didn't even smile at me, but he was still nice nonetheless. We did make conversation, yet he acted like he was troubled over something. I wasn't so sure what it was, but I decided not to pry. He said he had to go sharpen his blade, but a few minutes later, I couldn't find him anywhere in the sanctuary. I wonder where he had to go to sharpen his sword?

Speaking of which, he carries a katana. I haven't seen one ever since I was a little girl living in Bruma. I don't know why I remember that, nor do I really remember where in Bruma I had seen it. I guess I'm just looking him over a bit much. However I can't help but think about how he looked so handsome in the shrouded armor that he was wearing today. I could clearly see his muscles! Oh there I go, sounding like a giddy little schoolgirl. But can you blame me? He's the first man who's ever smiled, rather then yelled at me for bumping into him. I hope that I get to talk to him more. But...I still wonder about that necklace that he wears. Again, it's clearly a woman's necklace, but why would he be wearing it? Could he already have someone? I'm getting anxious as I write this...I need to stop try to get him off my mind. At least just for now.

There's some books here in the living quarters, I think I'll take a moment to pick a few out. Telaendril was reading something earlier that seemed quite amusing, I wonder if she's done with the book yet. I'm going to go ask her right now.

---------Antoinetta

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally, after so long, I've updated this thing. I've just been busy as of late with drawing, and...well...other things. I am sorry if this chapter is a bit uninteresting, but I promise that the next one will be filled with action. I just hope that you guys will have patience with me for the next update, I'm not so sure how long it will be but I'll try to cut the wait time down. I've went too long without updating, and I want to get out of that habit right about now. Thanks L'Ankou for your friendship and support, I promise to be back ASAP at DA!.

Go ahead and give me your opinions on it if you do check it out. be sure to check out my drawings of Dairou on my deviant art page. Hope you likey. Keep the reviews coming, your comments are greatly appreciated. Also, from this point on, I'm going to do my best to reply to ALL reviews that are left. Thank you for your time, your patience, and for taking a stroll through Cyrodiil with me.

h t t p / e x o t i c e 1 9 1 1 . d e v i a n t a r t . c o m


	13. Chapter 13 Sing Me a Song of Hope

I awakened from another night without dreaming of my past. Breathing a sigh of relief I slowly opened my eyes to the dim light of the lamps that lit up the sanctuary and crawled out of bed. Again, there was no clue as to what the time was, but I was pretty sure that it was morning. I stood up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes as I let out a quiet yawn. Looking over the beds I could see that I was the only one save for another who had slept in.

Antoinetta was the other late sleeper, her body curled up in a fetal position with her legs tucked in for comfort.

I was about to leave for the training room but a second glance at her persuaded me to take a moment to study her face. She looked so peaceful and content with her eyes closed and her lips parsed in a cute little pout. Her features were made up of gentle curves that made her face seem very rounded and was complimented by her dark blond hair which draped around the bottom of her neck. The rest of her body was covered from the shoulders down in her thick blanket.

"What could such a sweet person like you have done to end up here." I mouthed in a silent whisper.

"Mmnh" She murmured in her sleep, almost as if in response.

I sat back down on my bed and began to contemplate the murder she could have committed. She was a very small young woman, so there's no way she could have overpowered someone. Her face was one of innocence, so I hoped that it didn't involve any kind of seduction. But then again looks can be deceiving. She couldn't have killed someone in open combat..._could she?_ I silently asked myself.

Through my years of practice, I knew full well that someone's size and strength didn't really matter when it came to skill. But that was an idea that most warriors never embraced due to pride. So it was almost impossible to see her as a warrior, unless she had even me fooled.

The Dark Brotherhood would never approach someone who killed merely to defend themselves. So killing a bandit was out of the question.

_Damn, why am I thinking about such things?_ I looked away to stop myself when I realized I was putting too much thought into something that I had no business of knowing. Especially when there was quite a bit on my mind already.

It didn't take me long to understand that at that point, thinking was dangerous for me. I needed to give myself a distraction of some sort to keep from falling too deep into my useless contemplation. I stood up from my bed and looked around the room to the shelves that lined the walls of the living quarters. Each shelf had either several books, a small dagger, or some other random ornament to take up space.

Making my way to the nearest bookshelf I looked over the titles of some of the novels and history texts. _The Brothers of Darkness, On Oblivion, The Mysterious Akavir._

Naturally I picked up _The Mysterious Akavir_, and sat down under a light to read.

The next hour or so was spent snickering to myself over the somewhat inaccurate histories of Akavir. The text was somewhat right in general about what was widely known, but some of the translations of various names and places was way off. It made Akavir sound more like a fiary tale rather then a continent. I could have gotten a more accurate history from a drunken wastrel then that book 

I remembered that a few years ago when I was asking Jauffre for his opinion on the book before I was going to buy it, he laughed to the point where he was almost in tears.

"A waste of paper and time, but it is very amusing if you have absolutely nothing to do."

He was indeed right. I almost regretted reading it, but it was very comforting to see that some scholors did make an attempt to try to keep the histories of the land of Akavir alive. Then again it felt like the book was more of a quick write off that was merely meant to entertain and carry on some of the popular myths. That book should have never been published. In fact, as I put it down, I felt a bit dumber for reading it. But worthless or not, it was a lesson learned. Course I couldn't really visit Jauffre to let him know that.

_There I go thinking again..._

I caught myself mentally wandering again. So I started to search around the room some more. Then it hit me...I could simply get to know the other members of the sanctuary. Wasn't a bad idea, and maybe I wouldn't be so edgy around them. I decided to wander the sanctuary and start speaking to the first member that I met.

Making my way out of the living quarters, I saw one member who I hadn't seen before. It was a Khajiit wearing dark mage's robes moving toward the direction that I was coming from.

"Hello there." I said as he passed by...

"Screw you, squinty eyes." He growled without looking at me.

I was shocked and appalled, not sure where that even came from. All I could do was stand there slack jawed as I watched him walk away.

"What the--??" I asked out loud. But the feline was already out of sight. "Someone's having a bad fur day."

I shook it off for the moment, assuming that he was just in a grumpy mood. He was not the only one here anyway, there were still more people I could talk to. Then I realized that I was heading to the training room in the first place. _Hmm, how could I have forgotten that?_

A few minutes later I was examining the weapons that were on the racks that lined one of the walls in the training room. I found no real desire to pick them up and examine them, yet I did so anyway. Each blade I held felt so off balance and awkward. Not only that but I also never truly understood how someone could feel no danger in using a double edged sword. The slightest knockback from a poorly guarded block could send the wielder's own tool into his face if he's not careful. I sat them all back down and shook my head.

"Maybe I'll figure it out someday." I said to myself as I gave them one last look. Then my hand reached for the katana that was attached to my side. Smiling to myself inside as it traced the intricacies of the Tsuba(handguard) and the soft mesh of the cord that was tightly wrapped around the grip. _This is a real sword. _I thought to myself. In my mind, there was no other design of a blade that was meant to be used as a real weapon. It had only one edge, which was all that was needed to cut someone, a slight curve to make it stronger and more aerodynamic, a long handle for better manipulation and leverage..._yes, this is a real sword, everything else is just a blade on a stick._

I would have never said those words to anyone else for fear of sounding egotistical, but it only made sense. The balance of my katana was much closer to the guard then nearly any other kind of sword, thus giving me greater control. What good would a longsword be in a battle if there was no possible way to control it's weight? True, one could train to build up the muscles to move a blade just as fast as I could, but the strength needed to control it would still be used up very quickly. Not to mention that bulky muscles like those of an orc would only slow someone down.

"Bulk is weight, weight is clumsy and inefficient." I said out loud to myself.

"What do you mean?" Asked a voice behind me. I turned around in surprise to see that Vicente was standing behind me the whole time.

After I let the surprise pass I opened my mouth to respond.

"Oh, well, I was thinking about the size of a blade in battle." I replied.

"Bulk and blade...something tells me you don't like claymores...is that right?" He asked.

"I despise them." I flicked the handguard of my katana.

"I see, care to shed some light on that for me?" Vincente asked with feigned curiosity.

"Well, a big blade is nice and intimidating, but the first miss will leave you wide open, whereas a smaller lighter blade cuts faster, quicker, and with more subtlety then something meant to leave a crater." I blurted out without thinking twice. "Personally, I think that a large weapon with a big heft is compensation for lack of skill."

"Mmhm." He scratched his chin. "You have a good point, and I like that kind of thinking."

"You do?" I was caught off guard, I was expecting him to argue, or agree to disagree at best..

"Of course, after all, a quicker blade is more suitable for striking from the shadows. Which is exactly what I am hoping you can do for your first contract." He led on to change the subject.

"My first contract, already?" I didn't expect to be put on my first mission so soon.

"Yes, it just came in last night. Lucien was insistent that you be the one to have it. The mark is a pirate captain, who's ship is currently docked in the waterfront district in the Imperial City. Do you think you can handle that?"

"I...think I can but...I thought that it was going to be a few days before I would get my first contract." I regretted asking that question when I realized how bad it sounded, especially when I only said I "think"...

"It was, I was planning on letting you get settled in for a while first, but this contract is urgent. I apologize for the haste, but if it makes you feel better, there are no real particulars on this contract."

"Particulars?" I asked tilting my head.

"Well, most contracts that we are given are very specific in how they are performed. We always get paid for every mark that is taken, but there is usually a bonus for subtlety or for following certain instructions that are given by the client."

"I see, but I thought you said that you wanted me to strike from the shadows?" Though it didn't feel like an intelligent question to ask, it did make sense.

"Yes, I do. That's just a special request from me. You can hack your way through each and every one of the pirate ship's crew if you like, but I want to know if you can do it without alerting the watch. In other words, just do it without being arrested and without any witnesses, or at least none who live long enough to report anything."

"Wait, your saying I can kill bystanders?" I was a bit shocked, but then again not really surprised considering the fact that I was being sent out for an assassination.

"Not like that, Dairou, think about what kind of witnesses there could be on a ship full of pirates."

"Well, Pirates of course."

"There you go."

"Oh, I understand." I rubbed my chin for a moment while turning my gaze away, then looked back at Vicente. "So, what else do I need to know?"

"A lot more, which is why I've written down all the details and then some." Vincente reached into his pocket and handed me a folded up piece of paper. "Take your time and read it over. But keep in mind, that the sooner you head out, the better. After all, there's no telling how long that the ship will be docked in the waterfront."

"Alright, so everything I need to know is in here?" Stupid question I know, but I wanted to be certain.

"Yes, everything." Vicente nodded, then he leaned in a bit closer as if to speak discreetly, "But off the record, you don't have to go alone."

He gave me a devious little smile. I cocked an eyebrow, then I realized what he was implying.

"Wait...I...think I get what you're saying, but I barely know her." I blushed a little while looking away.

"Maybe, but you could use the company. After all, you've been on edge ever since you first got here. Why don't you take Antoinetta with you." Vicente put a hand on my shoulder.

"I'll think about it." I started to turn around.

"You'll do it."

At that I turned back to him and looked him in the eye.

"Is that an order?" I asked him.

"Only if you have no intention of doing so." He laughed a little.

"Okay, I'll take her with me." I gave in and turned away, making my way to the doors.

"Dairou," He called spoke up one last time, I stopped and looked over my shoulder. "She's a sweetheart, I want you to take care of her for me."

"For you?" Suddenly I realized that there was more to my possible interest in Antoinetta that concerned him.

"Yes, for me." He nodded as he folded his arms across his chest. The look on his face dared me to ask any further. Not that I wanted to pry anyway, but there would still be a little bit of curiosity to follow, even if I tried to ignore it.

777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

A few minutes later, I was lying on my back in bed studying the outline that Vicente had written of my contract:

_The mark is a notorious pirate captain by the name of Gaston Tussaud. He commands a ship called the Marie Elena, which is currently docked at the port in the Waterfront district of the Imperial City. He makes his money mostly through smuggling, but he likes to take in young girls as slaves when he can get away with it. Though most slavers turn around and sell those who they have in captivity, none of the girls that he takes are heard from again. I'm sure you have an idea of what happens to them, but there is little left to the imagination when it comes to the atrocities that he commits on to the poor young women he victimizes._

_His crew is a bit uneasy about one of his more recent additions to their ranks. There is a Dumner woman on board who has them on edge. They consider it to be bad luck to have a female crew member, and seeing as how most pirates follow seaborne superstitions like a religion, expect them to be very tense. If you happen to wander anywhere near their ship, they may react violently. You won't be arrested for defending yourself, but keep in mind that the Waterfront is where the eyes of the watch are almost blind. So if they do attack, don't look for help from the city guard. Of course, I doubt that a band of pirates are a match for your superior skill._

_However, seeing nearly all of his men dead by the hand of one person will definitely make Tussaud flee. Not to mention causing a big enough bloodbath that WON'T be ignored by the watch. That is why I recommend you do it with subtlety. But all that really matters is that you kill the mark. Leave bloodbaths only as a last resort._

_Recently he has been help up in waiting for a shipment of some illicit goods that were supposed to be delivered to him a few days ago. The delay will last for a few more days, giving you enough time to study your mark and plan your strike. Though I did tell you that the sooner you get out, the better...you actually have several days to complete this contract. You're probably sneering at that last sentence, but all in good time. I am sending you out now for your own good._

_You may be well rounded as a warrior, but I want you to learn how to be as efficient with your trade as you are with your blade. You are an assassin now, not just a fighter. From what Lucien told me of your craft, you are highly trained, but inexperienced. So I'm going to try and get you used to dealing with legwork and such as most of the time you'll be tracking your targets down yourself with very little information. You're lucky that this contract fell in your lap, this one is relatively easy since the client was able to tell us exactly where and when the mark is going to be. Thus sending you out early will give you plenty of time to get a feel for studying your target, which I definitely encourage you to do. Even though I know you can kill Tussaud easily, you need to learn all of this early._

_Also, the reason why I want you to take Antoinetta with you is to help you learn how to work with others. From what I know, you've only fought alongside your father in your early years to help fend of minor bandit raids. Your father was an experienced fighter like you, Antoinetta has no idea how to use the dagger that you will be purchasing for her. Yes, you read that right, I'm going to be making you get her weapon for her(I've left the money to buy it in your chest, be sure to get her something a woman would love as well, not just a weapon). Something small and concealable to help her defend herself. Please take good care of her. As an assassin you live outside of society as an outcast with no friends to call your own. You will grow to love and appreciate those who you are allowed to speak openly with. Take the opportunity to get to know Antoinetta better, she's not used to being welcomed by anyone, and you are a very well mannered young man. I'm sure the two of you will get along perfectly._

_I've left a couple essential supplies you're going to need for when you go in the chest beside your bed. Normally, it is customary to wish someone good luck on a venture like this one. But I won't be, you have the skill to accomplish this, you don't need luck. May you find safety in the shadows._

I reread what Vicente wrote many times over. Each time I did, it brought mixed feelings to me. I still was not comfortable with being sent to kill someone, but then again, if my target really was a rapist as he seemed to be, then I would be both avenging the deaths of his victims, and saving the lives of the women of whom he would have subsequently murdered. But that wasn't all.

I sighed, closed my eyes, and let my head fall back onto my pillow. I had taken in all of what he wrote, and understood the advice he was giving me perfectly. But I badly missed Jauffre's tutelage.

"I'm sorry everyone..." I whispered out loud, to those who I missed. Martin, Master Jauffre, Father, Christophe, and especially Elona. I knew that from this point on, I would probably have little or no chance to morn the loss of my previous life. There was no one whom I could confide to, and everyone who I was once close to was gone. Though I was surrounded by people who were outcasts like me, I was still alone.

I took a deep breath, opened my eyes and looked over to Antoinetta who was still asleep.

"Hmmn" She moaned as she shifted slightly in her sleep, with a small little smile of contentment forming on her pouty little lips. I couldn't help but smile in turn, she looked so cute and delicate. Sitting up from my bed, I turned to face her leaning forward to eye her up even more. Taking in every detail on her face. Her soft rounded cheeks, the gentle curvature of her nose, but mostly it was her lips. They were so perfectly shaped, with a curve of a bow as if it were drawn back.

_I guess I should get to know her better, she really was sweet to me._ I thought to myself, knowing full well that I was merely caught up in her natural beauty. But after all I had been through, I needed something to smile about. Even if it was something that was uncertain, she was a nice person. I felt a bit guilty for blowing her off when I first saw her in the sanctuary. Of course, I would be getting the chance to make up for it soon, after all, she was coming with me on this mission. Getting to know her wouldn't be so bad.

"Alright, you win." I whispered as my smile grew even wider. Antoinetta had no idea of how easily she was tugging at my heartstrings at that moment. Taking a deep breath, I stole the next few minutes to continue to look her over, letting myself get caught up even more. "Sweet little thing, you."

Had anyone been around to see my actions, I would have definitely blushed so badly that I could have passed out.

Eventually her smile started to fade, but as it did so, she started to breathe a bit faster in her sleep. My own smile disappeared just as quickly into a look of concern. She started to tremble slightly as if she were afraid of something.

I stood up from my bed and took a step closer to her when her face started to twist into a grimace of sadness and pain with tears starting to flow down her cheeks. She started to whimper as whatever nightmare from whatever nightmare was tormenting her. I knelt down beside her bed and reached a hand up to her shoulder.

"Antoinetta?" I started to shake her slightly.

"I'm sorry, sir...I didn't mean to--...please don't..." She said in a weakened and helpless little tone from her subconscience. I started to shake her a little bit more now with both hands on her shoulders.

"Antoinetta, wake up, you're having a nightmare!" I raised my voice slightly to try and get to her to awaken.

Her eyes fluttered open and she gasped loudly as soon as her eyes met mine. For a moment she sat perfectly still, afraid to move.

"Antoinetta, are you ---" I was cut off by her suddenly rising up and clinging to me for dear life, gasping as if she had just been through a life threatening experience. "...alright!?"

She was still trembling, and her grip on me was one of someone who was genuinely terrified. She eventually relaxed her hold and gently slid back down onto her bed rubbing her eyes.

"Antoinetta," I murmured softly to her.

"Y..yes..." She stuttered, slowly pulling her hands away from her eyes to look up at me standing over her.

"It's alright, you were having a nightmare."

"I...I'm sorry..." She said as more tears started to fall down her cheeks.

"Shh," I started to softly stroke her hair, letting my hands move down to her face to wipe the tears away. "It's okay, you didn't do anything wrong, it was just a dream."

Her eyes widened in surprise.

"I..didn't!?" She asked.

"No, you didn't." I massaged her shoulder a little. "But you did have me scared for a moment."

"Oh...I...I'm sorry, I scared you." She said with a little bit of guilt in her voice, but her eyes never left mine.

"There's no need to apologize," I laughed a little, involuntarily cracking a smile as I did so. "I just want to know that you're okay."

"You do!?" Antoinetta drew on another look of surprise.

"Of course I do." _Why wouldn't I? _I started to realize that Vicente wasn't kidding when he said that she wasn't used to being welcomed. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

A small gasp escaped her as I finished my sentence. Then she held very still...not moving, just looking up at me in silence. As still as a statue.

...not...moving...

The stillness was starting to creep me out, so I finally spoke up.

"I'm going to need you to come with me."

She finally shook herself from the trance she was locked in and blinked a few times before replying.

"You are?"

"Yes, I am taking you with me as I go to fulfill my first contract." I nodded and stood up from her bed.

"Oh, okay," She didn't smile, but I could tell she was pleased. As she slowly stretched out to wake up I turned around and opened up the chest that was next to my bed. Inside was a small purple sack, of which I guessed was the money Vicente left, a scroll, a book, and a neatly folded up green robe.

Listening to the sounds of Antoinetta getting out of her bed behind me, I picked up the scroll and unraveled it. It was a very detailed map of the Imperial City, complete with little marks and circles that Vicente had made that pointed out ideal shops and inns. All the exits to the sewers were highlighted, as well as a few back alleys that provided for possible escape routes that led right to them.

_I see someone's a bit familiar with the city._ I thought to myself with a little laugh, imagining Vicente having spent nearly a lifetime wandering the city, getting to know it from the shadows. Considering the fact that he was a vampire, he definitely had the time.

I put map into the folds of my jacket and picked up the robe, standing up to examine it at it's full length. It was nice and soft, with a big hood to help hide most of my face. There were quite a few pockets that lined both the inside and out, perfect for carrying small things. I started to wonder though what the robe was meant for, then I looked back into the chest to see another robe that I didn't see. It looked exactly like the one I was holding, but appeared to be somewhat smaller..._For Antoinetta maybe?_ I asked myself. It made sense when I looked over the title of the book. _For my Gods and Emporer._

I took the hint that it was the perfect disguise, a pair of traveling monks. Both inconspicuous and harmless.

"When do we leave?" Antoinetta asked.

I turned around to see her looking up at me shyly with her hands behind her back. Her green eyes twinkling like diamonds, and her lips in that cute little pout again.

_My god!!_

I felt my body shudder at little at how sweet she looked, freezing up for a second before shaking myself free of the trance. I knelt down, picked up the smaller robe and handed it to her. Letting myself smile again...

"Tonight, under the cover of darkness."

777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

_This morning, I had a dream that I was wondering around in an open field, with a steady breeze flowing through my hair, and the sun warming my skin. It was a nice dream, one that I wanted to stay in, until it turned into a nightmare. The bad part came when I wasn't paying attention and I bumped into Dairou, causing us to fall down just like when we first met. This time, he didn't smile at me, he just glared at me, like most other people would have. I started to become frightened, and tried to apologize. But he didn't say anything, just...glared at me. In tears I begged his forgiveness for being so clumsy, but instead of his smile which I missed so badly, he only sneered. I couldn't believe it, and it scared me._

_But then, something amazing happened...I woke up...to see HIM...Dairou! Asking me if I was alright!! I was so afraid of the dream that I made a fool of myself and clung to him like a child. I held him tightly till I realized that I wasn't dreaming. Right then I was so embarrassed. But he was so kind about it, and told me that he didn't want anything to happen to me. In the midst of it all, he touched me in a way I've never been touched before. He wiped my tears away...I couldn't believe it. No one has ever done that to me before. His hands were so soft and warm, his voice soothing. I was afraid of waking up again. But it wasn't a dream. Dairou was really smiling again! I knew that he wasn't as cold as when I first saw him here in the sanctuary, he really was just having a bad day that time!_

_I still keep thinking about how close his face was to mine, the warmth of his breath on my skin. Never before has a man been so gentle to me. His smile was so pleasant, I can't get it out of my head. He has the most beautiful blue eyes, the way they sparkled against the light made me feel like I was being gazed apon by an angel. I probably sound worse then I did yesterday, but I've never felt this way before. Is this what love is? If so, then I love the feeling!_

_That's not all...he told me that he wants me to come with him as he completes his first contract. Things just keep getting better and better. When I asked him why, he told me that he wanted some company. Could he be feeling the same for me? I don't know, and I'm afraid to ask. I would be so heartbroken if he didn't, so for the moment, I will hold my tongue and just enjoy being his companion._

_From what Dairou has told me, we'll be going to the Imperial City to where his mark is staying. He told me that target is a Pirate Captain who rapes young girls. That sounds a lot like a slaver who almost killed me years ago. I had blocked that particular memory out for so long, and it pains me to have it brought up again, but now it's okay. Dairou will be with me, and everything will be just fine. I hope that nothing bad happens. But from the way his muscles look, I feel so safe._

_He's putting on his shrouded armor right now, so I got to see him without his shirt on for a quick moment! He's so...for lack of a better word...developed. Wow, first, I'm lovestruck, now I'm lustful. I'm acting like a teenager. Well, I am a teenager, but next year I won't be. Well, he's done putting on his armor now and slipping on his robe._

_We're going to be going disguised as monks, so I have one too. He's calling to me right now, I'd better go see what he wants._

_Okay, I'm back, and now I'm more excited then before(if that's even possible). He said that he has a surprise for me when we get to the Imperial City. Is there no end to this? He's so perfect! I think maybe that he does feel something for me. It's way too soon to know for sure, as I still barely know him. I guess given time that will change. I'm going to close this journal entry now and start getting ready. We leave tonight. It will take a couple of days to reach the Imperial City, but I am looking forward to it, I may be forced to sleep on the forest floor for the next couple of days, but with him beside me, I have a feeling that it will be just as comfortable as even the softest bed at the most expensive inn if not more!_

_----------Antoinetta Marie_

_777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777_

During the night, Antoinetta and I slipped out through the abandoned house and through the west gate of Cheydinhal. It didn't take us long to be well on our way along the path to the Imperial City. Antoinetta seemed to be a bit cheerful throughout the day, which was a relief compared to how she woke up earlier that morning. It was a good thing that we had slept in that morning anyway since we were going to be moving through the first part of our journey at night. Even if we were unlikely to meet up with anyone, I made sure that we had donned our robes anyway to keep the cover as tight as we could. We were both a bit tired though from waiting out the afternoon(despite the rest we already had), so we made conversation to keep ourselves awake.

"If indigo is supposed to be a deep shade of purple, then why does it look blue?" She asked as she walked alongside me.

"I'm not sure, but then again why should it be called indigo and not 'deep purple'? I think it would make more sense." I replied while scratching my chin.

"True, but I think indigo is a pretty word."

"You would."

"Yeah, I---" She stopped her sentence. "Hey! What's wrong with that?" She put her hands on her hips.

I held up both hands as if to appease her.

"I didn't say there was anything wrong with that, I was just saying that you would, that's all."

"Oh, so you think you know me now!?"

"Well, eventually I will."

She stopped, thought for a moment, then laughed.

"Hey, what's so funny?" I asked her defensively.

"Ha ha, nothing!" She giggled and started to skip ahead, forcing me to jog just a bit to keep up with her.

"Come on, tell me what's so funny."

"I will...when I remember what it was...ha ha!" She laughed a little bit harder.

"Well, that's one thing I know about you, now." I countered with a little joke of my own.

"Oh...and what's that?" She stopped skipping and turned to look at me with an expectant look on her face.

"Nothing." I smiled.

"Hey, no fair!" She jokingly whined with a little pout.

_Gah! There it is again!_ She looked so cute when she did that.

"Well, you forgetting is not fair either, which is what I've just learned about you." I laughed playfully.

"Ah ha, so it wasn't nothing, just that I'm forgetful."

"Oh? You aren't going to take offense to me saying you're forgetful?" I cocked an eyebrow.

"No, cause I've already forgotten that you said it."

I stopped for a moment, stunned.

"Wow," I shook my head smiling, "That was a good one, I have to give you points for that. Nice comeback."

"Why thank you." She proudly took a bow.

Her little antics did a good job of brightening my mood, she was so much fun to talk with. I made a note to thank Vicente later for ordering me to bring her along. At no point after we had left Cheydinhal did I stop smiling.

"You're welcome. You would do well as a jester."

"You really think so?" She asked, tilting her head to one side.

"Yes." I nodded.

"How so?"

"Well, you're really good at---" I stopped speaking when I suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from the somewhere off the side of the road, I turned my head in the direction of where it came from.. Antoinetta must have heard it to, for she was just as quiet as I was.

We both stood still for a moment, listening...

I heard the crackling of a small leaf being stepped on from another direction, and turned my head.

_Damn, if this is what I think it is..._I thought to myself as I took a step forward to put a hand on Antoinetta's shoulder while sweeping my eyes all around us. The light from the moons made it easy to see, but they didn't really help much when whatever it was made use of the cover at hand.

I leaned close to Antoinetta and whispered in her ear...

"Bandits, remember that we are monks, and have no money." She nodded in acknowledgment. I held a little hope that she would be able to keep her calm, but I could tell that she was going to panic by the trembling in her fingers. "Shh, don't be scared, I'll protect us."

Right then a Khajiit dressed in brown leather armor with an axe in one hand stepped out from where the first rustling came from. My eyes met his immediately, with his face twisted in a growl bearing his sharp teeth and his ears drawn back.

Hearing a branch snap I turned my head to see a Nord emerge from the darkness, he too was dressed in leather, the only difference is that this one was wearing an open faced helmet. His weapon of choice was a two handed hammer, which was somewhat fitting for his size. His eyes were trained onto Antoinetta, which was not good. Fearing that there could be more, I scanned all around me.

My fear came to life when I saw a Dumner clad in a set of crude and badly maintained steel armor emerge into the moonlight. His sword was still in it's sheathe

"Hello there, going for a bit of a stroll at an ungodly hour are we?" The Dumner asked sarcastically.

Antoinetta immediately clung to me in fear when she saw the Nord smiling lustfully at her. Wrapping an arm around her to try and calm her down a little, I decided to play dumb with the Dark Elf.

"Why yes, of course, the moon and the stars looked so amazing tonight, that we wanted to enjoy the evening." I said with a smile. _Come a little closer..._

"Oh really, well, it's a bit late, and you're far from the safety of the city gate of Cheydinhal," He replied while taking a step forward. "there's bandits, thieves, and rapists about."

With the last sentence he gestured toward Antoinetta, I still held the smile on my face however. _One more step...there we go._

"Oh my, we didn't realize how far from home we had wandered." I pretended to be surprised, really I was paying close attention to his posture, looking for all the exposed little openings in his armor. "Well, we should be getting home right aw--"

SMACK!!

Antoinetta gasped as the dark elf slapped me across the face, which caused the Khajiit and the Nord to burst out laughing. I however was burning mad on the inside. Yet I still stayed in the "oh please don't hurt me" character I was playing.

"Clearly you see that it's not safe to be out alone, in fact, you could be in grave danger even now." He laughed with an acre wide grin across his face.

"Well, with that being said, I guess it is best if we just go ba--"

SMACK!!

_That's it, you're not getting away with that._

I didn't know which was more humiliating, being laughed at for being slapped as the other two bandits were laughing even harder, or the fact that the dark elf had such a weak hand. I could hear Antoinetta beginning to sob behind me.

I replaced my fake smile with an angry glare, which only served to entertain him even more.

"Oh? Why so grumpy little boy."

SMACK!!

The forest seemed to echo with the howling of the Khajiit and the Nord. They were almost to the point of tears with the whole show, they clearly enjoyed what they were seeing. Suddenly my demeanor shifted to outright hatred for the Dumner.

"Do that again, and I'll break your arm." I growled through gritted teeth.

He looked at me and smiled evily.

"Oh really now, I'd like to see you try." He said as he drew his hand back to try and deliver another blow. But instead of his hand meeting my face, I caught him by the wrist. "What the--!?"

The other two bandits suddenly stopped laughing. Antoinetta even looked at me in surprise.

"I warned you." I snarled just before jerking him toward me, pulling him off balance just long enough for me to shoot my arm around his elbow.

CRACK!!

With a quick twist, his shoulder was dislocated and his arm was broken. The Dumner let out a high-pitched cry of pain that seemed to echo for miles. I released the lock and let him drop to the ground where he frantically started squirming and kicking. Clearly he had never been hurt like that before.

Antoinetta, the Khajiit, and the Nord all stared at me wide eyed. In response I took a half step back into Ichimonji no Kamae(Defensive posture). The feline charged first.

He stopped just short of bringing it down to attempt to trick me, but I anticipated it and stepped forward just off to the side. Grabbing his head I yanked him toward me, driving my knee into his rib cage, causing him his face to grimace in agony as he felt the bones in his side crack. With my leg still raised I kicked the side of his knee, breaking it. In shock and surprise he dropped his axe, free of his weapon I let him fall to the ground to join his friend.

"DAIROU!" Antoinetta let out a bloodcurling scream. I turned my head to see a horrifyingly familiar sight. The Nord had a hold of her arm with her struggling to get free, and his hammer raised up in the air.

"One more s...step, and Skor will k...k...kill the pretty girl!" He stuttered with a bit of drool coming down the corner of his mouth. 

I stood still, my heart pounding, not in fear, but in anger. My eyes were locked with his, I could tell however that he was frightened.

"You so much as leave a bruise on her," I spoke in a deep and hateful voice as I untied my robe and let it fall to the ground, revealing my katana that was hidden at my side. "and I'll make you feel pain in ways that no men nor mer has ever experienced."

Skor's expression didn't change.

"I m...m...means it!" He shouted, and jerked her to the ground, still holding his hammer up high. Suddenly I noticed that the hand he was using to hold the hammer was trembling. "Don't c...come any c...c...closer!"

"Dariou..." Antoinetta sobbed with tears in her eyes as she looked up to me. I didn't let my demeanor show it, but hearing her crying like that did break my heart.

"So...Skor...you plan on killing the pretty girl?" I asked while holding my glare on him.

"Yes...if take...k..k...another step." He shook her, causing her to squirm a little more.

"Think long and hard about what follows if you do. I'll cut you down where you stand, and give you a slow painful death. Or if I'm feeling especially vengeful, I'll let you live, but only to make you suffer even longer." I kept my periferal vision focused on his weapon hand, which started to tremble even more.

"No you won't...sq...sq...squinty eyed...demon."

"Squinty eyes..." I tilted my chin slightly. "NOW YOU'RE DEAD!!"

I broke into a run drawing my katana, instantly closing the distance before Skor even realized I had started moving. My attack was relentless and brutal, first with an upward slash across his arm which nearly severed the hand that held his hammer, then bringing it down into his shoulder. In a flurry of slashes and thrusts I covered his body in cuts, tearing right though the thick layer of leather that protected his body. 

After my assault, he stumbled backward dropping his hammer and looked at me with wide eyes of horror. I kept my blade pointed to his face, though the threat was over. Blood started to trickle from the wounds and mouth just before he dropped to his knees, then fell forward onto his face.

I stuck my sword into the ground and turned to meet Antoinetta who immediately jumped into my arms crying.

"Dairou..." She said in between sobs.

"Shh, it's okay." I whispered into her ear as I wrapped my arms around her and held her close to comfort her. "It's over now, you're safe."

"I'm sorry..." She in turn held me tighter.

"What?" I asked with a puzzled look on my face. "What are you sorry for?"

"For...for being scared." She relaxed her grip and held her face into my chest.

"Antoinetta, you don't have to apologize for being scared." I cooed in her ear.

"I...I don't?" She looked up at me confused.

"No, in fact...I was afraid too."

"Y...you were?"

I nodded slowly as I wiped the tears from her face.

"But...you fought them all off so easily."

"I was still afraid." I smiled at her.

She was still somewhat confused, but seemed satisfied enough with my answer. Thus she closed her eyes and held me tighter.

"We'll set up camp a bit off the side of the road, I think I've taken care of the local bandit problem." I whispered into her ear.

Then I remembered that the other two were still alive, and stole the moment to look back to see that they were both calmed down, still clutching their broken limbs. I thought long and hard before finally making a decision to finish them both off. If I had let them live, they would have no doubt visited a healer, and if they weren't planning revenge after that, there would be more people who would subsequently be robbed or possibly murdered later by these two.

I gently let Antoinetta go just before reaching for my blade.

"Look away," I warned her as I stood up. "This is not going to be pleasant."

777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

Several minutes later we were sitting beside a campfire I had made. I arranged the bedrolls to be close together so that Antoinetta would feel safer during the night. I was secretly looking forward to waking up to her pretty face again in the morning. I was busy cooking the meat we would be eating as she was using the light to write in her journal.

"Dairou," Antoinetta asked me as she looked up from what she was doing.

"Yes?"

"When Skor had a hold of me, why did you hesitate?"

"Because I didn't want to risk having him make good on his threat."

"Oh...I see."She looked back down at her journal and then suddenly looked right back to me. "So, I guess no one who calls you squinty eyes lives then, huh?"

I looked at her and smiled. "It doesn't bother me."

"It doesn't?"

"Not at all."

"Hmm...then...why did you kill him right after he called you that?"

"Because his hand was tired." I then held up my hand to imitate the way he was holding his hammer. "I was stalling just to tire his weapon hand out. He couldn't swing a hammer that big if he was tired. He just happened to call me that when the timing was right"

"Oh I understand now." She marked her place in journal and closed it just before shifting a bit close to sit next to me. "But how could you fight so well if you were so scared?"

I looked at her and smiled again. _Your curiosity is so cute._ "I wasn't afraid until I heard you scream."

"My screaming scared you?"

"Yes, I was afraid that you were hurt."

"You were?"

"Must you ask everything twice?" I asked jokingly.

"Oh," She suddenly seemed to feel guilty and looked down at the ground like a child who was being punished.. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, I'm joking with you." I reached a hand out to her and lifted her chin with a little wink. "There's nothing to be sorry about."

She looked into my eyes for a moment, then started to smile right back. I could tell by the twinkle in her eyes that she was finally feeling better. I tapped her nose gently with one finger.

777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

_Tonight was one of the most frightening yet uplifting nights I had ever seen in years. As we were traveling along the road to Cheydinhal, we were ambushed by three bandits. A Khajiit, a Dumber, and a Nord. Dairou tried to keep our cover story by pretending to be helpless, which gave me quite a scare when he let the Dumner slap him around a bit. His acting had even me fooled. I was so scared for the both of us until he caught the Dark Elf off guard and broke his arm. He was so fast that I didn't even see how he did it. Then he broke the ribs and knee of the Khajiit. He took them both out without even drawing his sword! He didn't even break a sweat! As I watched him, the Nord grabbed me from behind, and threatened to kill me if he took another step. When Dairou didn't rush him, I thought he was going to leave me to die. But instead, he was just waiting for the Nord to tire himself out from holding his hammer up for so long before making his move._

_I had never had someone fight for me before, and Dairou is an amazing fighter. He looked like a blur in motion. It felt like I had guardian angel to protect me. I'll never forget the look in his eyes or the feeling that it gave me when he told the Nord what he would do to him if he hurt me. Is this what it's like to have someone stick up for you?_

_Right after he killed the Nord, I couldn't help but cling to him. I feel so safe when he's around, I could rest in his arms forever._

_Right now he's cooking food with the campfire he made, which is giving me the light to write in this journal. I now have a new nickname for him, Squinty Eyes. He laughed when I called him that, and now he calls me pouty lips. I guess I have pouty lips, according to him I do anyway._

_He said that tomorrow we will be staying at an Inn, and won't have to camp out. But it's okay, as long as he's with me, I don't care where I sleep. If this journal were a person, it would have told me to shut up by now from being tired of hearing about him. It feels like every hour I spend with him has a surprise, speaking of which, I'm anxious to see what he's going to be getting me at the Imperial City._

_I'm getting tried now, and I think it would be best if I were to get some rest now since we have quite a bit of walking to do tomorrow. He's smiling at me right now as I write this._

_If this is a dream, then I don't ever want to wake up. I think I'm in love._

_-------------Antoinetta_

777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

It was late afternoon the next day when we reached the Imperial City. It was a long walk around the Niben Bay, but the pleasant conversation and word games that Antoinetta and I played made it pass by very quickly. We both had nearly lost track of time and before we knew it, the sun was low in the sky as we crossed the long bridge that led to the City from the west side.

"Have you ever been here before?" Antoinetta asked.

"No, I can't say I have, I only saw it as I passed on my way to Cheydinhal for the first time." I replied.

"Oh, then I hope you like it," She said with a bit of enthusiasm. "I know it well, in fact, why don't I show you around?"

"Well," I retrieved the map from one of the pockets in my robe. "I'd like that but...hmm...I kind of had this entire trip planned out."

"Oh..." Antoinetta frowned and looked at the ground, I could tell she felt a bit ashamed for asking. "I'm sorry."

_Oh no..._

I quickly felt a bit guilty for crushing her hopes, my mind raced for a solution. Then I stopped and thought long and hard about the instructions that Vicente had given me. Antoinetta took a few more steps before she realized that I was standing still, then turned around with her eyes on me. Almost at random I slapped myself in the forehead when I suddenly realized something!

"That's why he made sure I had so much time when I came out here!" I exclaimed.

"Huh?"

_777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777_

Vicente sat in his private quarters while sorting through paperwork. He sighed before speaking out loud to himself.

"I hope that boy has figured out why I made sure he had so much time when he went out there."

777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

"Antoinetta!" I looked at her with a smile as I put away the map.

"Yes, Dairou?" She had a puzzled expression on her face.

"You will be my tour guide." I pointed to her. "Do you think you can handle that?"

Her face lit up with a smile and her eyes started to sparkle as she jumped high into the air to glomp me. I was forced to catch her in midair.

"Oh Dairou!!" She yelped in happiness as her arms found their way around me. "Thank you so much! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!"

"You're welcome." I returned the hug with one of my own. "Now, I want you to make sure I have a good time okay?"

She slid back down to the ground and looked up at me again, nodding with a smile.

"Promise?" I playfully asked.

"Mhmn, Mhmn!" She nodded again, she looked so cute when she was happy.

_Giddy like a schoolgirl._ I thought to myself as I stared into her beautiful green eyes, which were twinkling again. _You're so cute when you do that! _

"Well, where do we start?"

"Let's go to the Temple District, they just built a the most beautiful fountain there is...Gasp NO! Let's go to the Arcane University, they put on light shows at night." She held my wrists as she jumped up and down. "No! The Elven Gardens! There's a beautiful Nirnroot display!"

She was so happy, I loved it when she was happy.

77777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

The last part of the afternoon was spent wandering wherever Antoinetta would lead me, the sights of the city was something that was both strange and disorienting. The white stone structures that made up the huge circular city were of a scale I had never imagined before. The center of the city was marked by a huge white tower that seemed to reach up into the sky for over a half of a mile. I was intimidated by the looming towers and buildings that we passed by. But with her by my side, it wasn't so bad, she seemed to know every little turn and shortcut through the allys, even passageways that weren't even on the map. Her knowledge of the layout was comforting to me, even with the map I would have been lost without her.

All the little events and exhibits she showed me were amazing. From the plant that let out a bell chime, to the statues of the Temple district. I had so much fun with her leading me around, that I realized that I had forgotten all of my troubles of the last few weeks. We finally passed through the market district around the time that the shops were about ready to close.

"Antoinetta."

"Yes, Dairou." She looked up at me with a smile.

"There's something I need to get before the shops close, are you okay with going on ahead for the moment?" I asked her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, well, what is it, I can help you get it." She wrapped her arms around my hand, I could tell by the expression on her face that she didn't want to separate.

I smiled at her, as her lips started to pout again.

"I can't tell you, at least, not yet anyway."

"Oh...a...alright." Just as I expected, she was starting to frown.

So I leaned in close and whispered softly into her ear.

"I can't have you seeing what I get for you, that would ruin the surprise."

Right then, her eyes lit up again. I started to have a little bit of fun with bringing her mood up whenever she was down. It was almost worth letting her feel sad for just a few seconds. But I started to grow accustomed to seeing her smile.

"Ah, I get it." She hugged me again.

"How about you go and pick out the inn where we'll be staying tonight?" I pulled out a small sack of money and wrapped her hands around it.

"I already know where I want to go!" Her smile was so bright that her eyes were starting to squint.

"Alright, where?"

"The Tiber Septim Hotel, I've stayed there before. It's a really nice place in the Telo's Plaze district." She exclaimed with a giddy little smile on her face. "How long will you be out?"

"Just long enough to get something for you."

"Okay, I'll get going then, see you there."

I softly pat her on the shoulder. "Most definitely."

77777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

_We've finally made it to the Imperial City, it was a very long walk but it was worth it. Now we're staying here at the Tiber Septim Hotel. The very place I stayed just a few days ago. This time, instead of waiting for a sad painful memory to pass, I'm waiting for Dairou to arrive. I swear Dibella herself must have heard my prayers, because these past two days have been the best I've had in my life. He's so kind, loving, and whenever I start to feel sad, he cheers me right up. I could get used to that. Now I'm almost certain that he feels something for me. His smile is so genuine, his...oh my, I'm in tears just thinking about him._

_But these are tears of love and joy. A feeling that I have been denied nearly all of my life. For the first time in years I don't feel so afraid anymore. In fact, I think I love life now. No more sleeping in sewers or prison ships, no more fear of being raped by pirates or drunkards, it's all over now._

_Dairou, he protects me, and cares for me. Right now, he's out getting a gift for me. I've never been given a gift before, my heart is pounding with anticipation, my tears are still falling, and I'm so happy. I think I'll need a moment to clear my mind._

_Okay, I'm better now._

_I hope he doesn't mind that I got a room with just one bed, it's all that I could afford with the money he gave me. Of course, every time I've tried to apologize for anything, he tells me that I've done nothing wrong. Even if I'm sure that I've offended him he just smiles and pats me on the shoulder. Not only is he kind, he's so forgiving. I think that when he gets here, I'll tell him how I feel. I just hope that I have the courage to do so without crying. I am almost positive that he loves me too. Well, I just looked out the window and I can see that he's on his way here._

_I'm praying for the strength to tell him, and that he feels the same. He's here now._

_-------Antoinetta_

_77777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777_

I knocked on the door to the room that the receptionist said was ours and sure enough it was answered none other then by Antoinetta. She had a big smile on her face and was more then happy to glomp me again. Throwing her arms around me in a big hug.

"I see that someone's happy to see me." I laughed as I pat her on the back.

"Yes, very much so." She murmured in my ear.

The feeling of hearing her voice that close to me sent a chill down my spine. After several seconds of her clinging to me, she didn't let go.

"I guess I was gone too long then." I joked a little bit when she finally relaxed her grip, leaning back to let her eyes meet mine. "I'm sorry about that."

"You didn't do anything wrong." She said with that same twinkle in her eyes.

I gave her a big smile. _Using my words against me, I like that._ I thought to myself.

"I'm sorry about the room being just one bed, it's all that I could afford with...well, I hope you don't mind. I'll sleep on the floor if..." She stuttered, she seemed nervous about something.

"That's okay," I looked at the bed, then looked back at her. "it's big enough for two."

She smiled back at me, relaxing a little bit more.

"Well, are you ready for what I got for you?" I asked.

"Mhmn mhmn!" She nodded repeatedly in anticipation.

"Alright then, sit on the bed and close your eyes."

Antoinetta promptly obeyed and hopped right onto the bed sitting down with her hands planted in front of her. Before reaching into my pack for her gift, I took the moment to admire her face while her eyes were still closed. The softness of it's gentle shape made her seem all the more angelic. Her lips were somewhat drawn, but not thin. No matter what expression was on her face, she still seemed to have the pretty little pout that made it harder to tear my gaze away. For just an instant, I found myself wanting to kiss her. I caught myself gawking and returned to reality, retrieving the shirt that I had bought for her from my pack.

Taking a few steps forward to close the distance between her and I, to the point where I was standing just in front of the bed, holding up the shirt just in front of her.

"You can look now." I murmured.

On command she slowly opened her eyes to her gift. Antoinetta gasped slowly, taking in a deep breath in awe. Staring at the red strapless top that I held before her, her hands started to tremble as she reached up to feel it's soft fabric. She seemed to be caught up in a trance as she felt her way along the intricacies of it's simple design. Almost as if she had never seen anything like it in her life.

After a minute or so of exploration, I finally spoke up.

"I have the pants that go with it, how about you try it on?"

I had broken her trance, and she looked up at me with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Y...y...yes..." She stuttered. "of...c...course."

"I'll close my eyes till it's safe." I sat the pants down in front of her. They were a combination of black and red, and they complimented the shirt perfectly. Then I laid down a pink scarf to complete it. "Here's a sash to tie around your waist."

Closing my eyes I turned around and sat on the edge of the bed. I could hear her slowly disrobing and felt the mattress shift as she moved around. A couple minutes later she slid off the bed and from the sound of her footsteps, stood in front of me.

"I...you...you can look now." She spoke softly, almost in a whisper. I confirmed with the sound of her voice that she was nervous.

I opened my eyes and my heart skipped a beat, she fit the outfit perfectly. The sash was wrapped loosely around her waist, with the excess length hanging off of a knot on her left side. Her shoulders bare, reflecting the candlelight off of her soft skin. The midriff of her stomach showed just a little bit where the bottom of the top came to an abrupt end. Her arms were somewhat covered by the tiny little sleeves that matched the color of the rest of the outfit. She was beautiful.

"You...look...amazing." I whispered to her with a loving smile. But she didn't smile back, instead, her eyes seemed to moisten a little bit. I tilted my head slightly to show my concern, she only turned to look at the mirror without closing her eyes.

I got up from the edge of the bed and stood behind her, admiring her reflection just before finally breaking the silence again.

"Is something wrong, Antoinetta?" I asked. "It's not ugly to you is it?"

"N...no." She closed her eyes as a tear started to slide down her cheek. "It's...the...most beautiful...thing...I have...ever...worn."

She turned around and slowly put her arms around me, burying her face into my shoulder as she started to break down into tears. Her breathing was a loud sob as I in turn held her in my embrace. I leaned down to whisper into her ear.

"What's wrong Antoinetta?"

She hesitated before answering me, still sobbing.

"I've...n..never...been given...a gift before." She held me tight.

"Aww," I held her tighter, slowly running my hands up and down her back. "You mean...no one at all?"

She turned her head side to side on my shoulder in the universal "no". 

"Wow...I...can't believe...I...wow." I was shocked, more so then I had ever been in a while. "No one?"

She repeated the gesture, and held me tighter.

"Here, let's sit down." I suggested, leading her to the bed.

As we settled down, she didn't let go of me.

"I find that so hard to believe. You're such a sweetheart, after all." I murmured in her ear. That must have touched her somewhere deep inside because she leaned into me, almost as if she were trying to hold me closer. My balance broke and we both fell backwards, landing softly on the bed.

"I'm...I'm..." She moaned a little, but I cut off the statement as I knew what she was about to say.

"There's no need to be sorry." I started to wipe the tears from her eyes as she rested her head on my chest. "You can cry on me anytime."

"Th...Thank you so much, Dairou." She muttered.

"You're welcome." I was shocked, awed, and somewhat nervous. For such a small person, she did have a powerful grip on me.

After several minutes of sobbing and holding me, she finally calmed down to where she was breathing softly with very little trembling.

"You...have been so kind to me," She confided in me. "Before I met you, I hated life. I grew up on the streets, with no one to take care of me. I've...never been held like this before."

"So, I'm the only one who has ever held you as you cried?" I asked her softly.

She slowly nodded her head as it was still pillowed on me. I felt a tear start to slide down my own cheek as she softly nuzzled me.

"What about your parents?"

"They...they sold me. They...wanted a boy."

I was dumbfounded. The young woman that I held in my arms had never known the affection I was showing her. It wasn't necessary for me to know what her childhood was like, I could tell that it must have been horrible for her growing up.

"That's...horrible." I said with a little tremble in my voice, for I myself was crying. Even if I myself had just been through my own life's worst tragedies and lost everything, she had nothing, what was worse is that from what I was guessing, she wasn't wanted by anyone.

"You're so nice to me, and...you make me feel...so happy. That...I...don't like to be away from you."

Her words did more then just tug at my heartstrings, in fact, they nearly gave me a heart attack. I knew that she liked me before, but I had no idea how powerful her fondness for me was. Suddenly, all the problems that I had face before seemed so minute. Ironic that I had felt so alone, and without a light in my life anymore, yet I was a shining beacon in her heart. I began to feel compelled to take care of her.

"I really mean this much to you?" I asked.

"Yes." She moaned softly, nuzzling me again.

Taking a deep breath and thinking about the words I wanted to say again, I pressed my nose into her hair.

"Well, I...I don't know what to say, this is very overwhelming." She turned her head so that our eyes met. "But welcome."

She managed to crack a tiny little smile. I smiled back in turn as I reached my hand to delicately stroke her face.

"You're special to me too." I spoke from the heart with such simple words. Poetic phrasing was never my strongest point, but at least I was able to say what I meant. "You've kept me smiling the entire way here, Antoinetta. I'm glad that you came with me."

At that, she closed her eyes, and gripped me even tighter. Her arms around me and her body close to mine gave me a sense of belonging again. The feeling of being loved and appreciated was the perfect cure to my troubles. I realized that not once since I brought her with me did I think about my recent past. What amazed me was that she was able to keep me happy and cheerful, despite having demons of her own, whatever they were at the time.

"Dairou."

"Yes?"

"What do you think of me?"

Such a cute little question that came from such a sweet soul, she was definitely insecure.

"Well, from the moment we met by the bridge, I've always thought of you as a sweet girl. Though I didn't really know a thing about you, the way you carried yourself and your manners however spoke volumes about who you were."

"So, you like me?" She asked as she sat up to look me in the eyes. I knew perfectly well what she wanted to know. It was obvious that she wanted me, and I knew that eventually she would be bold enough to make a move like this. I was surprised that she was able to pick this moment so soon.

I took a quick moment to think over my answer, weighing the circumstances involved. We were both outcasts, with nothing else to live for and no where else to go. I had no one else to talk to, and everything I ever had before was gone. She had no one to love her, and she deserved to be loved.

I smiled while looking into her hopeful eyes which were burning with anticipation, giving her just a few more seconds of anxiety just to play with her before I finally gave my answer.

"Yes, Antoinetta. I do like you...a lot..."

Her eyes started to sparkle again, I could almost feel her glowing with excitement. It wasn't hard to predict what she was going to try next, especially considering that I had given her enough courage. She slowly crawled a bit closer to my face, looking down at me. I just held my smile and kept my eyes locked with hers. Though she was the one who was nervous, my heart was beating as well. She stopped just inches from my face, looking into my eyes, waiting for me to make a move. I slowly blinked, but let my eyelids relax a little to invite her to come closer. She continued to close the distance ever so carefully, almost as if she were afraid that one false move would undo everything she had been working for. Finally her nose touched mine, but she still stopped just short. The fact that she was anxious was so cute, as I started to feel her body tremble. I subtlety rubbed my nose against hers to show a little affection, closing my eyes to tell her that it was okay that she was so close.

At last she summoned up the strength to press her soft beautiful lips against mine. I returned the gesture with my arms still around her, and brushed her dark blond hair from her face. The next few minutes were taken up by our first kiss. Finally she gently pulled away, looking deep into my eyes.

"D...Dairou." She asked in a whisper while touching my face.

"Yes, Antoinetta."

"Are...are...are you an angel?" She stuttered with sparkling eyes, almost as if she were ready to cry. I could feel my cheeks turn red from blushing, making me wonder if she knew exactly how that question made me feel. Though I was still overwhelmed over the very idea that I had given her so much hope, something inside me said that it was safe to be with her.

"I'm no Angel, but..." I thought more about my words. "...I'll be here for you."

She blinked, causing a tear to roll down her eye, but it was accompanied by a smile.

"Thank you, Dairou" She whispered before she nuzzled her face just under my chin and closed her eyes.

"You're welcome, Antoinetta." I whispered back, giving her a little kiss on her forehead.

I at first was a bit afraid of the danger that I could be putting her in, but then I stopped myself from thinking about it any more. Letting the bliss of holding her close take over me, it didn't take long for the both of us to fall asleep. We were going to need the rest anyway, tomorrow was when I would have to start tracking down my target.

-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7

Finally after much toil and delay...actually that was a pretty quick update for a chapter so long. I'm already through the first page of chapter 14. Hopefully I can update with another long chapter just as quickly. I know how you guys love to have more to read and you love to have things posted quickly. I just hope that this wasn't too cheesy. I know that they got together a bit too quickly to be true, but let's be honest here, both are inexperianced as far as love goes, and both are at the end of all hope(wow, deja vou?), haste in decision making is almost SOP when your life takes a huge change you're not ready for. So I feel that the two of them falling in love too quickly was just about right. Those of you who know something about love would call it "puppy love". Yeah, you know what I mean. I'll make up for it with a huge plot twist much later. Trust me. Well, reviews are much appreciated, I like to know what you think. But hold the contructive critiques for much later. I don't have a whole lot of time to go back and check each and every little detail anymore. Got some things ahead of me to work on. Till next time folks. Thanks for your reviews, your time, and your input.


	14. Chapter 14 Darkness is never fleeting

I was awakened by Antoinetta nuzzling my chin. The sunlight was poking through the window and shining right on her eyes which she held tightly shut. I looked down with tired eyes to admire her just before she turned her face away from the light. As she did so her hair started to droop over the opposite side of her face.

"Good morning, pouty lips." I whispered to her with a little tired smile.

She looked up at me and finally opened her eyes a little while returning with the smile.

"Good morning, squinty eyes." She murmured right back. Something in the way she called me that was so cute.

"That's Miss Squinty Eyes to you right now." I chuckled as I stroked her hair.

She chuckled with a grin, noting that her eyes were just as narrow as mine while it was still morning. I leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

"You're not a dream are you?" She asked.

_Either you're still trying to flatter me, or you're in some sort of shock._

"You just woke up from one." I answered. "Welcome back to reality."

"Aw, why thank you!" She said just before leaning up and softly kissing me on the lips.

Before she could pull away I wrapped both arms around her to keep her close and make our kiss last even longer. I wanted to take a few minutes to not think about the day ahead and just enjoy our time together. When we finally let our lips part she looked at me dreamily with a sigh. Her eyes swept over my face as if she were trying to take in every single detail.

"Dairou..." She said out loud.

"Yes?"

"Nothing, I just like your name." She muttered to me as she let her fingers start to run through my hair. "Dai...rou. I like the way it rolls off the tongue. Dai...rou" (be sure to roll your 'r' if you really want to pronounce it correctly)

"Well, Antoinetta is a beautiful name, very fitting for you." I laughed a little, making her face turn a bit red with a smile. "You're so cute when you blush."

"No I'm not..."

"Oh yes you are! Now don't tell me any different because it's my opinion that matters right about now." I laughed.

"Well..." She pressed her forehead against mine. "...alright, you win."

"Good." I kissed her on the nose just before changing the subject. "Today, we have two things to take care of. I need your help with one of them."

"Oh really? What would that be." She asked as she rested her head on my chest.

"You're going to help me pick out your weapon." I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.

"A weapon for me? But isn't this your contract?" She questioned as she started to fumble the ties on the front of my shirt.

"Yes, but you still need a tool of some sort, can't leave you defenseless." I explained as I ran my hand up and down the back of her neck.

"That's true," She studied the intricate knot the held my shirt in place. "So what's the other thing then?"

I opened my eyes to stare at the ceiling. "The legwork, searching for my mark, and learning what I can about him."

She stayed quiet for a few seconds to take in what I said before speaking up again.

"So...when do we start."

"Midday" I answered quickly. "For now, let's just enjoy the morning."

77777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

_I can't believe it, he does want me! Last night, I started to confess my feelings for him, but I broke down and made myself look like a fool. He held me close, and let my cry on his shoulder. In his arms, I found a safe place to dry my tears, and he told me that I could cry on him anytime I wanted. If I was able to fall in love with him any more then I am already, then that would have been the moment. I didn't really know what else to say to him, or how to tell him how I felt, so I did the only thing I could think of...I kissed him. My first real kiss, with someone I loved, someone who really did care about me, someone who stands up for me and keeps me safe. I could almost feel my body floating as our lips met for the first time. It was amazing, I can't describe the feeling with words alone. But I feel like I'm in heaven._

_Mara, Dibella, thank you so very much. For all the years that I suffered, starved, hurt, and cried, if this is my reward for enduring it all, then it was all worth it. I can only think of him right now, it's as if nothing else in the world matters now. He is everything to me, and I need nothing else now._

_It's time for me to close this entry now, we have to go to the Market District to pick out my weapon. Though with him protecting me, I doubt I'll ever have to use it._

_ --Antoinetta_

77777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

**Vicente was alone in his quarters, writing out the log for the months activities in the Cheydinhal sanctuary. He enjoyed the peace and quiet of being alone, he couldn't quite recall the years when he would have rather been out at the taverns and brothels, despite the fact that it was how he spent his life before his unlife. The silence was golden, and he felt truly at peace.**

**After several minutes of writing out the extensive log, he folded it in half, stamped it with a wax seal, and put it away to be picked up near the end of that week. He stood up from his desk and made his way toward a bookshelf on a wall when there was a knock at the door to his private quarters.**

**"****Come in." He called out, knowing full well who it was. No one else in the sanctuary at the time would have a reason for visiting him in his chambers.**

**Ocheeva quietly closed the door behind her, and when she was sure it was shut tight, sat down at his desk with a sigh.**

**"****Something on your mind?" Vicente asked while pulling a book from the shelf.**

**"****I don't know where to start." Ocheeva replied while rubbing her forhead.**

**"****Let me guess," The vampire smiled at her as he sat down in his reading chair. "Dairou?"**

**His intuition was dead on.**

**"****Yes," Ocheeva closed her eyes while massaging her temples. "Telendril has a crush on him, and Gogron is jealous because of it, M'raaj-Dar is mumbling something about killing him in his sleep, and I know that Galador is going to hate him when he gets back. The only one who doesn't seem have anything to say about him is Teinaava."**

**"****Well, it looks like the sanctuary has gotten a bit lively since he came here." Vicente chucked a little as he crossed his feet.**

**"****Yes it has..." Ocheeva nodded, then looked up at him. "Say, have you seen Antoinetta? I can't seem to find her anywhere."**

**"****That's because I sent her with Dairou on his first contract." He sat the book he was going to read down on the stand next to him.**

**"****Oh? Why?" The Argonian asked with a puzzled look on her face. It wasn't unusual for dark brotherhood members to go on a contract in groups, but it was almost always out of favor to each other, rarely was a contract given to more then one assassin at a time.**

**"****Many reasons." Vicente had all the reasons picked out in his mind, for he knew that he would be asked this question sooner or later. "To start off, I want Dairou to learn to get along with his new brothers and sisters as soon as possible..."**

**Ocheeva put a hand on her chin and nodded slightly to show that she understood.**

**"****I'm sure you've noticed that he's been on edge ever since he first arrived here, with good reason. After all, the boy was brought up in a ways that the traditions of the Brotherhood contradict. So in order to ease his tension, I decided to send him out with a pretty girl his age." Vicente explained. "That should help brighten the day for any young man in his situation, or most young single men for that matter."**

**"****I see what you mean, but what if they come back holding hands?" Ocheeva asked him as if he were her superior, even though she actually outranked him. She knew full well that his wisdom was invaluable, and constantly looked to him for advice. He was several centuries old, and she knew that even though vampires are generally immortal, very few survived as long as he did and that there were reasons why. He had witnessed enough history to ultimately know the ways of the world, and to understand the winds of change. Most importantly, he knew how to move with those winds.**

**"****Then you should be delighted, because that would mean that Dairou has found something to live for." Vicente stood up and turned toward the painting that hung on his wall. "The boy's been through quite a bit; finding his father dead, committing his first murder, his first love being killed right in front of him..."**

**Vicente looked at Ocheeva with a serious face before continuing on.**

**"****...on top of that, he was disowned by his former master. Joining the Dark Brotherhood wasn't something he truly wanted to do, and thus, it was a dangerous thing for Lucien to bring him here."**

**"****Dangerous?" Ocheeva tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"**

**"****I mean that Dairou is one of the deadliest warriors ever to have found a place here on Nirn, and in a torn down and broken emotional state, he would have nothing to lose if he snapped. Thus the sanctuary would become a tomb, especially considering the fact that most of the Dark Brotherhood's traditions go against the principals he was raised with." Vicente's tone was almost ominous.**

**"****Hmm," Ocheeva found it hard to believe that one man could be that much of a threat, but trusted in Valtieri's wisdom. "So if he did fall for Antoinetta, he would have something to lose then...I get it, you're taming the lion."**

**Vicente smiled and nodded.**

**"****Precisely, but the word 'Tiger' is more like it." He acknowledged.**

**"****Tiger?"**

**"****Yes, you see, Dikata means 'Tiger' in the old Kamikage(Kaa-Mi-Ka-Gay) dialect." Vicente explained again.**

**"****Kamikage?" Ocheeva thought for a moment. "So that explains why his eyes look the way they do..."**

**Normally, Vicente would never have told her so much, but whenever she came to him for any kind of advice or wisdom, she did it in the confidence of his quarters, and it was an unspoken oath that anything said in that room when the door was closed would never leave those walls.**

**After nearly a minute of silence as Ocheeva took everything in, she finally spoke up one more time.**

**"****There's something else..."**

**"****Oh, and what's that?" the vampire asked as he sat back down in his reading chair.**

**"****Lucien's silencer, Jyhorral has not been picking up the money and logs. He's been missing for weeks, do you have any idea why?" The student asked the master.**

**"****That's because he's been killed." Vicente started to pick up his book, hinting that he wanted to get to reading it. "Lucien is definitely looking to replace him, and you see why he's so quick to recruit Dairou."**

**"****Hmm, I see," Ocheeva scratched her chin.**

**"****He was getting too old anyway, senility would have claimed him if he lived much longer."**

**"****Well, that confirms what I was guessing anyway." She stood up and turned toward the door. Before leaving she looked over to Lucien. "You'll probably be seeing more of me when Dairou gets back."**

**"****That's quite alright." He replied while opening his book up as she left. When the door latched from being shut, he finally said under his breath. "That boy is going to bring about quite a bit of change...and soon..."**

**77777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777**

Eno Hlaalu sat in Fudoza no Kamae in his mediation chamber, his mind was filled with the current events that were starting to take shape in Vvardenfell. Things were changing...a lot. He wasn't so sure if the city of Vivec would be a safe place to stay anymore considering that the Ordinators were thinking of cracking down on any and all possibility of what they considered herisey to be taking place in the city. If they kept it up, they would most likely find the Arena's sanctuary, and therefore compromise the entire guild's safety. The Ordinator's themselves would be proud to say they were able to find the Morag Tong's central hideout just to strike fear into any dissident priests who were in hiding. The reaction from the Great Houses would be hard to predict, and that was dangerous. But Eno wasn't worried about the Great Houses, no, it was something far worse.

The Dark Brotherhood seemed to be gaining confidence in it's humble foothold in Vvardenfell, and what was worse was that it was already aiming to take over Mournhold completely. Not that the Morag Tong had any much influence there, but if they took control there, that meant that their next target would be Ebonheart, which was right at his doorstep.

Eno sighed and stood up in frustration. A clear and concentrated mind was something that he regretted taking for granted for the last 30 years. Rubbing his forehead he made his way to his quarters and sat down at his desk to look over the most recent requests for writs on his desk. These were nearly all House Wars contracts between the three great houses of Morrowind. He tried his best to concentrate on reading them all, but his mind was too clouded.

Unlike the Dark Brotherhood, the Morag Tong didn't accept every request for a contract that was given to them, in fact, they were known to turn down nearly half of all of them. This was because the delicate balance of power that kept the Great Houses in check was something that had to be taken into consideration. If one house became too powerful, it could easily send Vvardenfell into disarray from such a monopoly of power. Not to mention that if all were fulfilled, then there would hardly be any politicians left alive, much less clients.

A set of footsteps could be heard making their way down the hall toward Eno's quarters. He knew exactly who it was by the soft nature of each step, and the gentle whisper of the loose clothing. It was his personal bodyguard and assassin.

"Come on in, Dio." Eno called out before he had the chance to knock on the door.

The door opened and in stepped a striking young man of medium stature in his mid 20's. His long hair was black as ebony, and his narrow eyes were a bright grayish blue. On his left side he wore a Daito set consisting of a Katana and a Wakazashi of which he casually rested one hand on.

"Master, the Ordinators have started searching the Foreign Quarter Canton on rumors of a hideout for dissident priests." Dio spoke up. "Two people were arrested, though I'm sure the charges are false."

The Dunmer didn't look up from his desk, instead he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Have you heard news about the Neravarine?" He asked.

"Not anything public, but our brothers in the Telvanni district say that she's been visiting the Ashlander camps there. She's growing more determined by the day it seems." Dio answered.

"Really?" Eno opened his eyes and looked up at him. "North or south?"

"North."

"I see, this one's moving pretty fast." The aging grandmaster stood up from his desk, and made his way to a large table on the opposite side of the room that was covered by a map of Vvardenfell that was dotted with tiny little wooden figures. They came in various shapes and sizes, each one representing a town, a person of significant power, a shrine, or a well known landmark. He picked up one on the northeastern coast that was shaped like a hut, and brought it back to his desk. "At this rate, she'll be well on her way to appealing to the Great Houses by the end of the month."

"It would appear so, but I don't think that the Great Houses would be able to trust her as easily as the Ashlanders have. Especially with the Commona Tong's plans to kill her as soon as she makes any appeal to House Hlaalu." Dio replied while watching his master dip the top of the tiny figurine in an ink container, staining its roof.

"That may be, but she'll most likely make her move on the Telvanni first, seeing as how they are conveniently close by when she finally wins over the Ebronhaseim tribe. They won't be so easy, but they also won't have as much of an agenda as Redoran or Hlaalu, especially with their tendency to be neutral on most any issue thrown at them." Eno explained as he returned the now ink-stained figure to it's place on the map. "Besides, it's the Redoran who will be hardest to appeal to, they're the real snobs."

"Oh? So you think she'll be able to win all the support of House Hlaalu?" Dio asked.

"Of couse, in fact, that's where you come in." Eno smiled at him.

"Me?" Dio raised an eyebrow and waited for an explaination.

"I need you to deliver a message to her for me, it will be written of course, so you're going to be doing a bit of tracking." The Grandmaster pulled a blank scroll from one of the drawers in his desk and sat it onto the workspace with a quill next to it. "The message will be me telling her that she already has my support when she makes her appeal to House Hlaalu, but to make sure that she still makes a public request so as to make it look genuine to the other retainers."

"I see." The bodyguard scratched his chin. "But Master, if she's the reason the Ordinators have been causing a ruckus in the city, wouldn't it make sense to assassinate her instead, just to calm them down and bring back order?"

"That it would," Eno nodded and looked toward a painting on his wall. "After all, they are most likely going to search the entire city soon. All over the dissident priests which they won't find at all, and they will be embarrassed."

"But that means they'll find this place and when they do they'll use it's discovery as proof that nothing in this city escapes their eyes, just to try and strike fear into those who are far away and in hiding." There was worry in the young man's voice, which was a rare thing. Dio was used to facing death anytime he went out on a mission for his master. But this was the first time that the life of his master was in danger.

They both knew that if the Ordinators did discover the Morag Tong's hideout, they would most definitely go public with Eno Hlaalu's true identity as the master of the Guild and House sanctioned assassins of Morrowind. If that were to happen, then the rest of House Hlaalu would likely turn on him for allowing contracts that went against them to be carried out, that's **if **they didn't try to suddenly claim that the Morag Tong are now _their_ personal assassins. Not only that, but the open guildhalls in the Redoran and Telvanni territories would also be in grave danger of vengeance from the respective houses sudden turn.

"That is true, and so we'll be forced to leave Vivec for the first time in many generations. But at least that's an option we have." Eno turned toward Dio and looked him in the eyes.

"Yes, but where will we go? The public guildhalls are too dangerous to seek refuge in." Asked the young man.

"We won't need them, after all, each and every one of us has a life that is separate from the Guild, return to that life until it is safe again. Besides, I'm sure that you have someone who you won't mind spending more time with." Eno smiled at his apprentice, as he know that he understood perfectly what he meant.

Dio's best kept secret was a young Bosmer woman who worked at the Halfway Tavern in Fort Pelegaid. They had spent the last six years of their lives in love with each other. Eno Hlaalu was the only one who knew about the couple, and even he wanted that to stay a secret. For any sign of emotion that could be pointed out as a weakness was something that could be used against even the greatest of assassins.

"Maybe, but Ulmesi's reaction is something I fear would cause us quite a bit of trouble if she were to get word of such a thing." Dio pointed out.

"Which is why I'm only going to use that option as a last resort. Since we're not truly sure if the Temple will allow the Ordinators to raid the city. But I'm planning on finding out personally if the Hall of Justice will protect the secret of the sanctuary. Though if they knew that we are going to be helping the Neraverine, they would probably attempt to execute us themselves." Eno sat back down at his desk and started to write out the letter to the Neraverine.

"I see what you mean.." Dio looked down and rubbed his chin for a moment. "...the Temple's days are coming to a close aren't they?"

"They are..." His mentor replied without a pause in writing. One talent that set him apart from anyone else who could have been a leader was his ability to multi task with things that required complex thought and dire concentration. It was how he was able to quickly rise to rank in the guild. "...and they will fight this change to the bitter end, so there's really no telling what they'll do to try and stay in power, or who they'll turn against."

"Tribunal corruption at it's finest." Dio stated. It was never out of the ordinary for the temple to do things that were unethical for the sake of it's own interests, it was due to the fact that it was run by a mixed bag of religious fanatics and greedy politicians. "Master, all these years that Vivec has ruled the Vvardenfell district, I've never seen even the slightest hint of rebellion short of the Ashlander tribes. Why hasn't there been some sort of uprising?"

"It's because here in Vvardenfell, everyone has been divided, and if everyone is at each other's throats, then they never will fight their true enemy. Every farm, shop, or town has some sort of favor by one of the three houses, and they are always at odds with each other. The Tribunal Temple has done things under the table to maintain that conflict."

"Thus the temple would suddenly be in trouble if the great houses were unified, even for a moment." Dio added.

"Precisely." Eno turned to Dio and smiled as he finished the letter.

His subordinate put his hand on his chin in deep thought.

"Master, since we are the personal assassins of the great houses, we maintain the war between each of them. We are a tool of the Temple, but only on the condition that they give us sanctuary. With the way things are changing, what do you think is most likely to happen?"

Hlaalu rolled up the message and stamped it with the rose shaped seal of the guild. Before speaking again, he stood up and gave Dio a very serious look.

"Right now, we are going to shift our priorities. I can't predict what will take place in this sea of change, but I am going to use this opportunity to restore the traditions of the Morag Tong that have been broken over the last century. I can't tell you any more then that right now. But I need you to trust me." Eno held out the scroll to Dio.

"I understand." Dio said with little hesitation. He respected the wishes of his master, and never felt any need to question them.

"Good, now after you deliver your message to the Neraverine I want you to go and stay with your other half and wait for word from me, you've more then earned your rest." Eno smiled.

Dio smiled back for the first time as he accepted the message, now he was looking forward to seeing Samia for the first time in a week. Hlaalu knew very well that he visited her anyway during each and every mission he sent him out on, but this would be the first time in which he would get the chance to spend more then just a few hours with her.

"Aregate gousaimasta." He replied just before leaving tone.

Eno was glad to see a little bit of enthusiasm out of Dio again. He sat down at his desk and discovered that he was finally able to think clearly. Dio was going to make for a fine leader someday.

77777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

It didn't take long for Antoinetta and I to reach the Waterfront District, which was connected to the harbor itself. We had left the weapon shop no more then an hour ago, where I helped her choose her blade. Just as Vicente(and I would have) suggested, she picked out a small double edged silver dagger. It fit her small hand perfectly, and it was small enough for her to conceal easily so as not to attract the same attention that a bigger weapon would have. She was looking it over with fascination in her eyes, from my guess it was the first weapon she had ever owned. We were planning on stopping at the bloated float to begin the search.

"Dairou..." She spoke up while running her fingers over it's sheathe.

"Yes?"

"How are you so good at fighting?" Her question was not one that I was expecting, but it was valid.

"It's because I've trained all of my life." I smiled at her.

"All your life? As in...ever since you could walk?" She asked.

"Every day without fail, yes. Where most kids would play pranks and read books, I was constantly outside, sneaking up on my father, and fighting him in stick duels." I laughed a little at some of the fond memories of my father and I, though a small part of me didn't want to think about the past, especially when I was still in morning, so I tried to change the subject a little. "To me, stealth and combat are as natural to me as walking and running."

"I noticed..." She referenced the bandit attack that I pulled us through earlier. "...but either way, you're an amazing fighter."

"Why thank you, but I'm not that great." I blushed a little.

"Yes you are, you were like a blur in motion!" She exclaimed as she jumped in front of me.

"A blur in motion?"

"Uh huh! You were so fast, that I didn't even see how you took down the first guy, I'll bet he didn't even know that you broke his arm till he hit the ground." She threw a few punches and kicks, trying to imitate the way I was fighting. "The Khajiit didn't even get in a hit, and the Nord was already scared out of his wits! You're just too quick to be hurt."

"If only that were true." I laughed as I watched her pretend to fight. She looked so cute in the sloppy little dance she was showing off. She looked up at me with a pleased look in her eyes, I guessed that it was her goal to get me laughing. I rewarded her with a pat on the head, and ran my fingers through her dark blond hair.

"But it is, you're so deadly, yet humble. That's something that I've never seen before in someone who can fight." She put her hand on mine, affectionately stroking it while looking up at me with her sparkling green eyes.

"What's being deadly have to do with my demeanor?" I asked with a little smile.

"Well, most people who can kill as well as you tend to be very cold-hearted, and cruel. But, you're different." She murmured softly as she started to nuzzle my hand a little.

That statement struck a nerve in me. Lucien complemented me on how well I could kill, and that was almost an insult to me. But when Antoinetta said it, it didn't seem to give that same feeling. I was open to being told that I was well versed in combat, but to be told that I can kill so well was a completely different thing. But something about the way she looked at me, the twinkle in her eyes, the softness of her face, made it into something that I could bear to hear.

"You're an amazing woman, Antoinetta." I finally replied after coming out of my thought.

"Thank you." She smiled dreamily. "No one's ever said anything like that to me before."

I embraced the thought that my words were reaching deep into her. In some way, I wanted this mission to last forever, never truly reaching my target. I thanked Vicente in my mind again.

"You deserve it." I gently brushed my hand across her face and kissed her forehead. "We should keep moving, the sooner we get word of my target, the sooner I can track him."

A few minutes later, we were sitting at a table within the Bloated Float's lobby. Antoinetta was having a drink of the local spirit and I was having water. The barkeep had given me a funny look when I had ordered it but when he saw that I was acquainted with someone who's drink actually cost money, he didn't seem to have any qualms.

I was looking around at the patrons trying to guess their occupations by their faces. Though I did see a few off duty guards, I didn't feel any tension due to the fact that I left my katana back at the inn. Thankfully so because through the conversations that Antoinetta and I were eavesdropping on I learned that word of the murder I committed had spread pretty far, and that the only description that the guards truly had on me was that I carried an Akaviri warblade on my side "upside down".

I had to snicker to myself. Little did anyone know the right way to carry or use a katana. It was supposed to be tightly slipped through a belt in it's sheathe with the blade side pointed up. Not carelessly dangling down at someone's side like a halfway severed limb.

"I heard he's so fast that he took down an entire unit of guards by himself before any of them could draw their swords." One of the guards said.

"I doubt that none of them couldn't draw their weapons, because from the reports that were handed in, there appeared to be a bloody fight. So that must not be true, though there were no witnesses left alive."

"But what about that Mordus fellow who wrote the reports, he tried to have the nearby innkeeper arrested for harboring a criminal? You know that something must be up if the individual testimonies don't add up the same. I doubt his story about actually wounding the runaway is true either, from what I hear, the innkeeper was so mad about Mordus starting a fight on his land and that **he** was the one who broke his jaw, and not the Dikata boy."

"Well, I guess we'll never know since we weren't there. Not our problem anyway."

I laughed to myself. Master Jauffre had told me about the way rumors would change from person to person. It was clear to me that the words that were spread about me no longer had any true validity, and that I doubted that I was in any real danger of being spotted by any guards at that point. Save for the universal fact that my katana would probably be the first and only thing that would give me away. That however was somewhat of a problem to me though.

Though I had confidence in my skills with nearly any other weapon I could hold, or my hands if needed, I felt naked without my weapon of choice. After all, I had spent the better part of my teenage years learning how to use it and so it felt like a part of me. I hoped that I wouldn't have to use it anytime soon, except for when it counted.

"What are you thinking about?" Antoinetta interrupted my thoughts with an innocent smile of curiosity on her face.

"Oh, nothing, just listening to the stray conversations. I guess the best place to start for any information on our man is by asking around." I smiled back at her as we made eye contact once again.

"Well then, how about the barkeep, they usually hear things first." She suggested.

"You're right," I laughed a little at the fact that my own mental distractions kept me from thinking of such a simple step. "in fact, wait right here, I'll go ask him right now."

I stood up and softly pat her shoulder, giving her a smile of approval just before I made my way to the bar. Since it was mostly crowded, the bartenders were busy trying to serve as many drinks as they could to a growing number of customers. So I simply stood at the counter and waited patiently for one of them to get a free moment.

After just a minute or so of waiting, the empty space next to me was suddenly filled by a smiling Dunmer woman who was wearing a shirt that showed quite a bit of her chest.

"I don't think I've seen you here before, are you new here?" She asked.

"Actually, yes, I am." I politely smiled right back, though I didn't really feel like talking due to the fact that her attire and her body language betrayed an intention I didn't like.

"Oh, are you from the countryside then?" She started to scoot a bit closer to me.

"Sort of." I replied to her. "Why do you ask?"

"It's in your accent, you're a cute country bumpkin."

At that I blushed a little. I was in some way not used to the flattery of a woman, and that was another reminder of my true inexperience. I took a quick look in the direction of the bartenders who seemed to show no signs of being able to take a break. Then it hit me that it was a bad day to try and get any searching done. I turned to look at the Dark Elf who had moved a lot closer while I was distracted, and was now starting to run her hand up my arm.

"So, what's your name?" She asked.

It was obvious that I had to get out of there as quickly as possible, so I gently put my hand on hers to pull it away as I started to speak.

"Miss, I'm sorry, but right now I can't--"

"Dairou?" My stomach jumped when I heard Antoinetta's voice behind me, I knew that there was no way that the placement of my hand was going to help the story that I was no doubt going to have to explain. Both the Dumner and I turned around to see Antoinetta looking up at me with wide eyes. "What's going on?"

Right then she made eye contact with the woman beside me who in turn smiled at her. Antoinetta turned pale white.

"Dairou..." She asked softly while maintaining eye contact with the Dark Elf. "C...can we leave now?"

"Yes we can." I said in a haste, normally I would have wanted to know exactly what was going on, but at that point, I didn't feel like questioning the perfect opportunity to get out of that place. "In fact, I think now is the perfect time to go."

I pushed the woman's hand away and stepped up to Antoinetta. Reaching one hand under her chin, I lifted her face slightly and gave her a big kiss on the lips to break her trance and to show the Dark Elf that I was taken.

After breaking from the kiss I took my true lover by the hand and led her out of the bar, not looking back to see if my message was made clear.

When we were a good distance from the tavern, I finally stopped and turned to Antoinetta with no idea what to expect. I was prepared to answer every question that she could have had for me, or to be slapped in the face, but instead she just stood still, with her hands together and her head held low. For a few seconds I was stunned that she wasn't even looking up at me.

"Antoinetta? It...it wasn't what it looked like, I..." I stopped and tried to rethink what I should have been saying, then realized that there was no other way to explain myself. Rubbing my forehead I started to wonder if I had made a mistake.

When she didn't react to even that, I started to become a bit worried.

"Dairou," She finally spoke up, which brought some sort of relief to my mind.

"Yes?" I answered her as she took a step toward me to where her nose was just under my chin, though she didn't look directly into my eyes.

"What is the name of the person you're here to assassinate?" Her voice was now a mere whisper.

It hit me that all this time I had not actually told her anything about my mark other then that he was a pirate. I took a deep breath before finally answering.

"A pirate captain by the name of Gaston Tussuad." I gave her the answer she was looking for with the same tone of voice.

There was an awkward silence that followed for almost a minute. Finally she slid her arms around my waist and held me tight.

"Can I wait at our room for today?" She asked with a slight tremble in her voice. My heart started to sink at the thought of what I was assuming. If she knew Tussuad at all, then there was only one way she could have known him. My mind went back to the moment when she told me that her parents had sold her because they wanted a boy. Taking a deep breath I put my arms around her as well. It hurt me deep inside to see her usual cheerful manner be cut down by whatever was on her mind.

"Yes, you may." I tilted my head down and whispered in her ear. "I'll come with you."

I kissed her on the forehead and in silence we walked back to the Tiber Septim Hotel. We held hands the entire way.

77777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

Somewhere, there was a place that is hidden far away from prying eyes, marked on only a handful of maps. It's existence was a closely guarded secret, one of the best ever kept by men and mer. In a retreat hidden deep in a vast summit that few would ever happen to find, sat an old bearded man in white robes deep in what can only be described as deep meditation. His eyes, which he has no use for, were covered by a white blindfold, and despite the freezing cold, felt that the day is a bit warm. A young woman blond haired woman dressed in similar garb made her way to his side and sat down in the exact same manner.

She closed her bright blue eyes and went into a trance with the old man. After several minutes she finally spoke up.

"At least he has found comfort for now. But will he be alright?"

The old man cracked a smile, that she could see without looking.

"You care about him don't you?" He replied in a slight teasing manner.

"Deeply, in ways that only you can understand." She answered his question, and waited for him to return the favor.

"He will be just fine, as long as he stays hidden for a while." The old man assured her.

"Thank you."

After a few more minutes of mediation, the old man broke the silence.

"Aren't you jealous?" He jokingly inquired.

"No, as long as he is happy, that's all that matters to me." She was honest and began to smile as well. "No matter who it's with."

"So you **are** in love with him then." He chuckled.

The girl's smile grew wider.

"Yes, very much so." She admitted. "It's hard not to be, especially when his heart is a reflection of what he is really intended."

"I see." The man nodded. "Your heart is in the right place. You can rest assured that he is safe for the time being."


	15. Chapter 15 Not even shadows

Antoinetta lay in silence with her head resting on my lap with the rest of her body curled up around me. Her eyes were closed, though I knew full well that she was awake. The rest she was seeking wouldn't come due to the fact her mind was full with a distant painful memory. I gently stroked her face, wiping away the tears as they fell from her eyes.

We were laying that way for almost an hour. Normally I would have given someone in her position her space, but she wouldn't let go of my hand. Hinting that she didn't want to go away.

"I'm sorry about earlier." I whispered softly into her ear, hoping that she would be somewhat able to speak again.

"It's alright." She whispered back. "There is nothing to forgive."

I was glad to hear her speaking again.

"Are you okay?" I asked while letting my hand come to a rest on her cheek.

Slowly her eyes opened and came into focus. She turned her head slowly to look up at me and finally smiled.

"Yeah," She answered with a nod. "You're here, so everything is fine."

That touched me inside, and in turn I smiled back. I still felt guilty for what she had seen earlier, but I had a feeling that it was something else that bothered her.

"I guess you want to know if I ever had anything to do with Gaston, don't you?" She was right, it was obvious considering the fact that he was my target. Though I didn't want to pry if I could help it.

"Not if it brings back something painful." I whispered to her while she snuggled up to my arm.

"It's okay, I want to help you." She insisted.

I took a deep breath and softly ran my fingers through her hair.

"Alright." I gave in and wrapped my arm around her shoulder.

She in turn took a deep breath and closed her eyes leaving me to silently await whatever she had to say.

"Remember when I told you that my parents sold me?" She asked softly in almost a whisper.

"Yes."

"They sold me to Gaston." She buried her nose into my shoulder.

Suddenly I felt a shock shoot through my body.

"My god! Antoinetta...I..." I started to feel my own body tremble my mind tried to grasp what she must have went through while she was in the servitude to the pirate. "...I...I'm so..."

Words failed me, but she went on.

"I was just a child when they sold me. They did it just before they moved back to High Rock, to keep anyone there from knowing that they had a daughter. My father was always disappointed in my mother for not bearing him a boy, and through the years she took his disappointment out on me. She never told me she loved me, and always treated me with a mild neglect. My father would find any excuse to beat me whenever he came back from work."

With a trembling hand she started to reach up to wipe away a tear from her eye, but my hand was just a bit quicker and I took care of it for her. Her eyes were still tightly closed, as if she were trying to clear her mind from the memories.

"At first, it was a relief when they sold me, it was an escape from that life. Gaston was not cruel to me when I was just a little girl. He had me cooking and cleaning his house while he was away on his constant trips to Vvardenfell where he was helping to smuggling things in and out. He was just a smugglers lacky back then. But over time, he managed to get his own ship, and gathered his own crew."

She was starting to tremble a little in my arms, and I pulled her just a little bit closer for comfort. Her face didn't leave my shoulder.

"He was starting to get ambitious, and pirating was something he developed a taste for. The money he made from stolen goods and selling his prisoners was more then me imagined. When I was thirteen, he finally decided to sell his house and buy a galleon. The sea became his new home. He kept me below deck most of the time, cooking, cleaning, and keeping the crew's quarters clean. But after a while, he started to take notice that I was becoming a woman. He..."

She stopped in mid sentence, her mouth still open as if she were stuck on the last word. For almost a minute she didn't move. Finally she continued.

"His eyes...on me...he started to watch me as I worked. He..."

Her lips started to quiver a bit.

"...one night...he c...called me to his quarters..."

Another tear made it's way down her cheek.

"...told me that he...had some things...he wanted me...to...to...take care...of..."

My vision began to blur as my own eyes started to water.

"...he..."

Her voice started to drift into a gentle sob. The memories were too painful for her to bear, and I couldn't hold back my own tears of sympathy. I ran my hand along the length of her hair and kissed her softly on the forehead.

"...h..h..hu...hurt...m..me...r...rape...raped...me..."

She broke down and with both arms clung to me so tightly with strength that I didn't think a girl her size could muster. I pulled her into my lap and softly wiped her tears away. Her eyes still closed, her body trembling, and her composure temporarily lost. For the next few minutes she maintained her grip. Once in a while I would whisper, "It's okay" or "You're safe now" to help calm her down.

"Thank you, Dairou." She finally broke the silence with a somewhat calm voice.

"For what?" I asked softly.

"For listening." She answered as she finally let go of me and opened her jade green eyes.

I myself couldn't quite grasp the magnitude of how badly she must have wanted to tell her story to someone, but I knew that it was a huge burden lifted from her shoulders.

"You're welcome, Antoinetta." I finally replied with a smile to try and lighten her mood.

Finally, the edges of her lips started to curve upwards, telling me that she was alright. It was a relief to me, as I didn't like seeing her broken down. But I know that I wanted to be there for her when she did. Almost as if she read my mind, she rewarded me with a kiss on the lips. I enjoyed our little moment together, but there was something else that didn't add up.

"May I ask you something?" I wanted to be polite about it.

She nodded subtlety

"That woman in the tavern, do you know her?" I asked.

"Yes, that's Malvulis, she helped me escape from Gaston."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"Malvulis, who is she?" My curiosity was only natural, and she knew I'd probably want to know.

"She is the first mate aboard the _Marie Elena_, Tussuad's Galleon." She filled me in. "That's if he still has the same ship."

I took a moment to wrap my mind around everything that she had just told me, making a note to ask Vicente if he knew anything about all of what I had just learned.

"From what Vicente told me, it is." I confirmed. "Do you know it's layout?"

"Of course, like the back of my hand." Antoinetta eyes told me that she was eager to tell me everything there was to know about the ship. Which as a huge contrast from the melancholy she was in just a moment ago. _You must have felt really good to get that out._ I thought.

The next hour would be taken up by her telling me more then I needed to know about the thing, including it's layout, the arrangement of it's quarters, the faltering locks, the rogue's gallery of crew members who were aboard when she ran away without looking back, and last but not least: the balcony that was made specifically for the captain's quarters in the rear of the ship. She even tore a page from her journal to draw me a crude map of it's intricacies.

When I was satisfied with everything she had shown me, I finally gave her a gentle pat on the head.

"You have no idea how much easier you've made this." I praised her with a grin and a kiss on the cheek. Her face was beaming with pride and she jumped up to glomp me with open arms. Luckily I expected such a reaction and caught her in midair, letting her cling to me. "Had I been lighter, I would have done the same thing to you."

She giggled and tightened her grip around me

"But you're not light are you, squinty eyes?" She spouted off in a playful smart-ass way.

"Only on my feet." I laughed while gently setting her down on the bed.

"So, are you going to go and assassinate him tonight then?" She asked as she rolled over onto her side and looked up at me. That's when it finally hit me.

_I am an assassin._ The realization was like a bolt of lighting. I knew before that my purpose was to come out here to kill someone, but for the first time it was starting to sink in. Antoinetta's enthusiasm was a bit disturbing, but considering what she had went through growing up, it shouldn't have been as much a surprise to me as it really was.

I took a deep breath and rubbed my chin. It was a good thing that we had plenty of time to carry the contract out, because I was going to need the rest of the afternoon and the evening to think things over. My old life of training and preparation for what I was supposed to be was gone, and I had to accept it. The only thing that really mattered now was survival, and the Dark Brotherhood was giving me that. I was just going to have to take some time to get used to it.

"Well?" She interrupted my thoughts and tilted her head in such a way that her hair flipped over and spread out a little on her shoulder.

"Not tonight, but tomorrow." I answered.

Then almost involuntarily my eyes swept over her body. The thin green shirt she was wearing clung to her body almost as if it were soaking wet, and due to the way she was laying had been pulled upward somewhat exposing part of her stomach. Her skin was slightly tanned from spending many days under the sun, and her breasts held their perfect shape against the gravity that was attempting to pull them off to one side.

"Oh? Okay." Antoinetta broke my trance with a devious little smile. Almost as if she knew what was starting to go through my mind, she kept her eyes locked with mine. I suddenly felt a bit embarrassed at my perverted thoughts that she has seemed to invoke, somehow I had a feeling that she did that on purpose. "Tomorrow then?"

"Yes, tomorrow, because now I..." I broke my sentence as she rolled over onto her back, closed her eyes, and started to twist a little bit to stretch herself out.

"Mmnh" She moaned a little as she leaned her head off to one side. Right about then the angle at which she moved gave me a clear view of her chest from the top down. Suddenly her eyes opened up to greet mine. "Because you what?"

"I...have to get some supplies, and do a bit of planning." I stuttered in obvious embarrassment, the redness of my face gave me away.

She giggled as I turned toward the door and started walking.

"How long will you be out?" She asked as my hand made it to the doorknob.

"Um...I should be no more then a little under an hour." I looked back to see that she was now laying on her stomach, her chest a little bit more exposed.

"Okay then, I'll be waiting." She giggled with a wink.

"I'll see you in less then an hour." I quickly said in haste and hurriedly opened the door and exited.

With it shut behind me I leaned my back against the wall and took a couple deep breaths.

_What just happened!?_ I mentally asked myself. That was not behavior that I expected out of Antoinetta. She had just poured out her life's story to me, and it was a horrifying childhood, and then her mood shifted like the tide. Maybe it was something in the relief of telling her story to me. It didn't really change my feelings for her, but it did make me wonder if she was alright.

I couldn't put a whole lot more thought into it as my mind went back to the image of her beautiful feminine body, rolling around on the bed arching her back to stretch out. Her voice moaning as the she worked the tension out of her muscles. Suddenly I felt something drip out of my nose...

I reached a hand up, and touched something warm and moist just above my lip. Looking down I realized that my nose was bleeding. I couldn't believe it, my nose was actually bleeding over the sight of a pretty girl.

I had read about such a strange happening before, but to find out that it really did occur was another amazing thing. Laughing at myself, I quickly made my way to the privies to wash up. If I was going to need to adjust to this new life, then I knew that I could do it with Antoinetta( no matter how strange she would be) alongside me.

7777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

Sigrid finished the last few details of her painting and took a step back to look it over. It was a very well done piece especially in her opinion. The couple that she painted looked so cute together, and she hoped that her intuition was right about them getting together. The man was a young looking fellow who was new to being an adult, and had a unique aura about him, his bright blue eyes complemented by his dark black hair which hung somewhat lazily off of the side of his head gave him a gentle appearance. His muscles however which showed somewhat through the subtle openings in his sleeves hinted to his true athletic ability. A jade green necklace hung from his neck as he leaned forward to kiss his lover.

The girl was about a year or two younger then he was, and was quite a bit shorter. Her dark blond hair was pushed back as her eyes were closing to receive the sign of affection. Her lips were a brilliant shade of red, and had just the right shape that would drive most men crazy. But the way her hands gripped her love's shirt gave the message that they were only meant for him to kiss.

Sigrid had met them both before, and had the pleasure of having them pose for her as she painted them individually A smile turned up the corners of her lips as she thought about the day she saw them meet for the first time. She had watched them bump into each other on the bridge, and after the awkward recovery they had exchanged the little looks that usually sparked the first few stages of romance. It was a joy to see such a sight, it was one of the rare things that only an artist could appreciate. Especially in all it's subtlety.

She started to hum a little as she put away the brushes and other tools. She was always the somewhat cheerful sort, but this was something that made her mood brighter then usual. It was a small deception to get Antoinetta to sit still on the rock as she painted her, she led her to believe that she needed her models to sit relatively still as she painted, but in truth, she had a memory that in another lifetime could be easily described as "photographic". She kept her close just so that she could admire her. Sigrid viewed people as individual works of art, and would take in the natural beauty that they were in her eyes. She had plenty of time to study Dairou, and she was in some way captivated by his unique features, particularly his eyes. They were of a certain curvature that somewhat resembled an elf, but they didn't look like they belonged to any kind of mer, and the rest of his face showed not a single hint of elven decent.

Sigrid knew full well that he was of Akavrian lineage, but something about the way he looked made her suspect that his blood was not mixed with any other ethnicity. Most of those who had characteristics similar to him were passed off as Breton, which made his kind truly rare, as such traits were probably recessive. Thus she was even more intrigued over the possibility that he was in the single digits as far as his pure-blooded generation went, possibly to where he could count on one hand how long it had been since his lineage had parents who were both Akaviri. She hoped that she would soon meet him again, and hoped even more that when she did, that she could see Antoinetta holding his hand.

Love was something that was truly a beautiful sight to behold, especially if you had something to do with causing it to happen.

"You two," She said with a smile on her lips to the painting. "Even look like you belong together."

She was in some way envious of the couple, for she didn't quite see anyone in her future. But then again, that kind of commitment wasn't for her. A least not right now, she enjoyed the freedom of not always having to answer to someone else. Though she did enjoy the company of one particular man who was much older then herself at the moment. She laughed a little at the thought of becoming his other half, he was definitely a possibility in her eyes.

"Now look what you two did." She giggled with one hand on her hip and the other up to her chin. "You've gotten me thinking of myself."

Though the two figures on the canvas didn't move, they almost seemed to blush. It wasn't unusual for her to talk to her paintings, but these two had a bit more life to them. She blamed that on her fondness of the couple, _if they really do become a couple._ She thought about the fact that they might not have gotten together. _But only if they didn't see each other again_.

She looked out to the window at the sun as it began to set, soon it would be time for her company to show up. Again, the envy returned and she rolled the thought of finding someone for herself around in her mind. She looked over at the other painting of Antoinetta that she had done before, her green eyes sparkling as she smiled back at her. She almost playfully suggested the idea: _Wear something nice for him tonight!_

"Oh...I don't know." She replied out loud as she looked over at the painting of Dairou who probably would have said the same thing. "Oh alright, it couldn't hurt."

Though most would have considered her to be a bit strange for having such a conversation, it was really just another trait that came with being an artist.

She spent the next few minutes looking through her clothes for something that was not too revealing, but would definitely get a man to look her way. She finally came to a red corset that she hadn't worn in a long time. Examining herself in the mirror she was satisfied with the way she looked, but not in an egotistical manner. Even if the one who's eye she was now hoping to catch had left behind most desires with his age, she knew that he would at least appreciate her looking her best.

Just as she looked out to see that the sun had finally disappeared over the horizon, there was a knock at the door. She quickly answered to be greeted by the smile of her best friend.

"Why hello there!" She returned the smile.

7777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

I was crouched down from on high on the huge horseshoe shaped wall of stone that separated the houses (shacks was more like it) of the Waterfront district from it's harbor. My gaze was fixated onto the galleon that Antoinetta described to me earlier that day. When I came back from shopping for supplies in the Market District, she was asleep. So I left a note telling her that I'd be back later on and took the evening to begin tracking my target.

The _Marie Elana _was a huge ship, and it's crew was much bigger then Antoinetta guessed, but that was quite alright. I only really worried about searching for the captain, which was not as hard as I expected. Gaston stood out like a sore thumb with his fancy clothes, which was a stark contrast to the rugged crew he kept. Some of them didn't bother wearing their shirts while on board, and others seemed to ignore basic hygiene based on how torn and dirty their attire was.

Gaston paced around the ship without even speaking to his crew, almost as if he didn't notice their existence. His eyes were focused straight ahead as if he were lost in thought. I didn't know for sure if that meant that he was tired, or if there was something on his mind. If he was edgy about being held up in the harbor, then it was understandable. But I began to wonder a bit what even held him up. It seemed a bit odd that a pirate ship would have any reason to stick around longer then it was supposed to. _Perhaps it was arranged for this contract to be carried out_ I thought to myself. After about half an hour of his pacing, stopping and pacing again, he finally seemed to acknowledge the outside world again. He walked up to a pair of crew members who were having a conversation over a shared cheese wheel and spoke a few quick words to them. Afterwards they enthusiastically made their away around the ship speaking to their co-workers and in almost a minute they all made their way off the ship and headed in the direction of the Bloated Float.

_Must have dismissed them all._

That meant that he was beginning to feel comfortable with his surroundings. I started to think back to the lessons that I had grown up with about unconventional warfare. When an enemy starts to feel as if nothing dangerous will happen, not even for a long time: They will relax. Whereas any experienced leader would tighten security if he was in enemy territory. But Gaston Tussuad was not a student of war, and probably never faced any kind of danger in his life save for the possibility of having his cover blown. But even then, that was different from worrying about assassination. I was starting to wonder if this was going to be too easy. But then again I decided that it was going to be smarter to see if he would repeat that same mistake again tomorrow night. Something that was deadlier than having lax security, much deadlier then allies who plotted behind your back, and far more fatal then most other mistakes...routine. It was something that could easily get you killed, for routine would give a patient enemy time to analyze your habits, your tendencies and even your personality. Anyone with opposing intentions who knew when and where you were going to be, and how strong or weak you were when you were there, would have the perfect opportunity to kill you.

Juaffre once told me that repetition in warfare was the equivalent of gift wrapping your death for your enemy. Very much like announcing your most favorite or your best techniques and tactics, which would easily become the subject of analysis for everyone else.

Tussuad's clothes obviously meant that he liked to look presentable, or that could have been for the sake of appearing rich and powerful. I remembered in Anvil that the ships captains there paid little attention to how they looked. At least until they would leave their ships, that's when they bothered to take baths and comb their hair in order to look a bit like businessmen. His clothes were much more expensive then the average business tycoon. I started to wonder if he had his quarters outfitted to look something like a master bedroom of some sort. All of that would confirm what Antoinetta said about his personality of being greedy. Easy money had a way of doing that to people. That also made me begin to understand why those who worked the hardest for what they earned didn't indulge, at least not the same way.

Then, out of nowhere, I started to feel the temptation to carry out the contract right away, even with what little I knew about my mark. It was the perfect setting, no witnesses nearby due to him dismissing his crew, and the sun was long gone over the horizon, so the darkness would mask my approach easily. _If I do it now, Antoinetta and I could get out of the city before anyone noticed and be well on our way._

I decided that there was no better time, and stood up to begin making my move. But then suddenly I started to notice that I was a bit fatigued. _Oh no, I guess not tonight._

_7777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777_

On the walk back to the inn I realized that all the running around from the day had taken it's toll on my body, not so much that I was drained of energy, but I had spent too much time awake without a long nap in between. One of the big secrets to constantly moving was to get at least three or four hours of sleep, effectively cutting down on the time you spend asleep at night, in favor of a long period of rest during the day. Ever since I had arrived at the sanctuary in Cheydinhal I had been given too much time to think, and therefore was given the chance to really keep up with my training. Part of the reason why I took so long to get to there in the first place was that I always took time aside to practice my basic kamai and technique. It was amazing how just a couple days can get you off track, I made a note to get a bit of working out done every day like again when I got back from this contract. Even if it was in the cramped training room of the sanctuary, it was better then nothing.

Suddenly I realized that I was starting to think tactically for the first time, just as I was trained. Now I wasn't just going through the scenarios that my father or Jauffre would have me work my way through, I was really going through the process of planning out a strategic assault on an adversary of my own. My mind strained to avoid going back to the now distant memories of my days in training. I had to focus on the task at hand.

Finally I made it to the door to our room at the inn. Taking a deep breath, I pushed back all thoughts of the contract from my mind just before I reached up to the knob. Slowly I opened the door to see the room lit up with several candles. Antoinetta was closing her journal as I walked in, and greeted me with a big smile as she jumped from her chair charging in my direction.

"Dairou!" She called to me as she ran.

I could easily see it coming, and I enjoyed the attention as she glomped me. This time was slightly different, the way she jumped up seemed a bit more agile then before.

"Wow, you're starting to get good at this!" I laughed as both her arms and legs quickly found their way around me.

"Dairou, I missed you!" Antoinetta giggled as she held me tighter.

"Aww, well, I've only been gone just a few hours." I replied as she slowly relaxed her grip.

"Yes, but that was still too long." She whined through a cute little smiling pout. _You look so beautiful when you do that._ I thought as my eyes swept her face.

"Well, I'm back now." I put my hands on her cheeks as she released her full body grip and slid back onto her feet. Her arms stayed around my neck.

"For the night?" _The pouting again, so playful!_

"Yes, for the night." My answer was instantly rewarded with kiss on the cheek.

"Good!" Antoinetta was indeed a joy to me, I was reminded why I found myself attracted to her. The playful aura that she seemed to have was a huge inverse to the melancholy life of loneliness that I was dreading just a few days before. Though I was still wondering how her mood shifted so fast earlier. "So, what'd ya get while you were out?"

"A few things that might help, you didn't look in my pack yourself?" I asked her with a look of surprise.

"Well...no, I...I didn't want to be a snoop." She started to look at my pack which was sitting on the desk beside the map she had drawn of the ship.

"Oh, well, I understand, but go ahead and take a look." At that, she kissed me on the cheek and skipped up to the desk to untie the knot that held it closed. I made my way to the map and took a quill from an inkwell to start adding little details based on what I saw earlier. Off the corner of my eye I saw Antoinetta pull out the rope that I had bought earlier that evening and take it over to the bed.

"From what I saw, I have three options of entry and two exits." I said out loud as I noted the balcony, the deck, and the crates that were setting out on the dock beside the ship. "It looks like I could stow away easily on one of the large crates, the balcony is a possibility, but it's almost impossible to reach from the docks, and if I were to try and jump, I'd definitely make a lot of noise should I miss."

I started to rub my chin a little bit as I looked at the deck.

"Going right up on deck is way too risky on account that I'll be seen almost immediately. But if Tussuad dismisses his crew again, then that won't be much of a problem." When I finished speaking I rubbed my eyes as my body started to remind me that I was tired. "I just have to make sure that he doesn't see me coming first."

I gave it a bit more thought before finally speaking up again.

"I've seen them moving the crates at least once an hour, I'll just stow away. After all, it's the most discreet way of getting on board." I made my decision before finally looking toward Antoinetta, who was still on the bed with her back to me, and playing with the rope. "What are you doing?"

She giggled mischievously and then turned around on her knees to face me.

"Look Dairou, I'm your slave!" She laughed as she held up her hands which she somehow managed to tie together by herself. "What would my master do with me?" She asked in a seductive manner with her head tilted down and off to one side.

My eyes went wide, my heart jumped, and my jaw dropped. Other then that, I was frozen in place. _Oh my! _It wasn't so much that she was cute, because that was always the case. But more like the strange reason why I kind of liked seeing her like that with a smile on her face.

Slowly my look of shock turned to an embarrassed smile as I blushed and started to shake my head. Antoinetta hopped off the bed, made her way up to me, knelt down and pouted.

"Oh Master Dairou, I'll be a good girl for you I promise." She playfully begged me as she grabbed my hands.

I knelt down with her and with a red face, let my eyes meet hers while she put the end of the ropes in my palm.

"I...um...I..." I couldn't think of anything to say, I was nervous, but couldn't say that I didn't enjoy her giddy little game. "...well...um...as your master...I..."

Through my stuttering she giggled and leaned in close.

"Yes, Master?" She whispered with a grin on her face just before she pressed her lips against mine and drew me in with a long and sensual kiss. Somehow that took my embarrassment away and I began to pull gently on the ropes.

"I love you." I murmured as she gently let go of the kiss.

"I love you too."

Suddenly I wasn't so tired. Which was a good thing because she didn't let me get much rest that night.

7777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

_I let it out, I finally was able to tell my story. For the first time in my life, I spoke about what happened to me when I was younger. It's almost hard to believe, but Dairou listened to me as I told him what happened. Somehow it feels like a huge burden has been lifted from my shoulders, and I've been set free. So much pain, the memories, and now it doesn't hurt so much anymore. But to explain it better, I better start from how it started._

_Earlier, I saw Malvius as Dairou and I were out at the bloated float. I didn't recongnize her at first, until I saw her putting a hand on Dairou. Then when I went to save him from his obvious discomfort, I saw her face. Her hair was longer then I remembered, and her chest most certainly got bigger. She smiled at me, but I didn't know what to say. It had been so many years since I had seen her, and seeing her brought back the memories. I knew that she was happy to see me, but I was so scared because it occurred to me that if she was nearby, then so was he. I wanted to leave, and Dairou was more then happy to walk me back here._

_I asked him who it was he was sent to kill, and it was exactly who I feared. Something about the way he listens to me, gets the door for me, asks me how I'm feeling, and the way he makes me feel safe, helped me find the courage to face that terrible memory. Dairou really is an angel, if not, then I know there's definitely something special about him. I don't mean by just his eyes, but something else. The way he looks at me with those bright blue eyes of his almost makes me feel like he really is a gift from Dibella. The last few days have been the best in my entire life by far. It feels like I can do anything as long as he's beside me!_

_To think that the one who molested me is going to be put to death at the hands of the one who loves me. I don't know exactly how I should feel right now. Tussuad was not always a bad person. It was the money that got to him, and the sense of power that made him act that way. But how many others did he hurt after I left? From what Dairou learned, he likes to kidnap girls, but has never sold a single one. Though they disappear from his ship while he's at sea. I cannot truly fathom what has happened to them, but I can only imagine that it is something horrifying._

_Dairou is back.._

_(Some hours later)_

_Dairou is amazing, truly someone special to be sure. What he did for me tonight was incredible, and my body is still trembling. It's like I touched the heavens!_

_ --Antoinetta_

7777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

Noe slowly started to wake up after a good nights rest under a big willow tree. She had made camp the night before to take a rest after helping the local ashlander tribe find a place to seek refuge for the coming months. The first thing that she saw as she opened her eyes was the wolf that she befriended several months ago. She was curled up with her nose tucked underneath her tail, and her paws pulled in to where they couldn't be seen. Somehow she looked peaceful in that way. It made Noe smile.

She moaned a little as she started to pull her blanket off to stretch out and greet the day. The noise made the wolf's eyes open, and she began to uncurl to stretch out as well.

"Mmnh, good morning, Rayne." She said to her as she finally stood up and began to pack away her bed. The sun was already above the horizon, and the morning dew was beginning to evaporate. After putting the small bedroll away she looked around to see if there was anyone close by who could possibly see what she was about to do. _Except for her, I'm all alone,_ She thought just before she started to change her clothes. The last couple days had given her little time to rest, much less even change clothes. But today was different, Noe planned on getting absolutely nothing done! At least nothing else other then a little bit of reading, and maybe cook some of the rice that she had been wanting to try every since she left Sadath Mara.

After donning a simple white shirt and a pair of baggy trousers that were tied together from the shins on down, she started to go through a set of morning stretches to help work the tension out of her aching muscles. Rayne spectated with a mild curiosity as she did so.

"Much better." Noe said as she sat down on the ground and reached into her pack. Taking out a book she started to flip through the pages looking for the mark that held the place she last left on. To her dismay it was nowhere to be found in the book, but when she checked her pack once more, she discovered that it had fallen out as she was organizing her things the night before. "Oh no, I've lost my place."

She said with a somewhat disappointed tone. Noe didn't feel like trying to find the page, and the thought of cooking the rice was looking better anyway. She stowed the book back into her pack, but just before she could do anything else, Rayne suddenly turned her head with her ears poked up. Noe immediately noticed and looked in the same direction. Not too far away was a man dressed in thin leather armor, the kind that was made for moving silently while still providing some protection. On his side were a katana and a wakazashi to compliment it. His long hair was darker then even Noe had ever seen, and his eyes were of an icy blue that almost startled her. His athletic build made it look like he could run down a horse.

Noe was a bit frightened at how close he was before Rayne had seen him because her hearing was superb, and had saved their lives many times in the countryside. This man was within eavesdropping distance and despite the fact that he was walking looked like he was closing fast. The poor Wood Elf jumped up and quickly drew her dagger.

"Hold it right there," Noe barked as she stood up to her full hight and pointed her weapon at his eyes.. "Who are you!?"

Rayne looked at Noe, figured out what was going on, and jumped beside Noe, baring her teeth and growling. But that didn't seem to even phase him, however when he was just about ten feet away he came to a sudden stop.

"Are you Noe, the Bosmer who is seeking to be named Nerevarine?" He asked in a businesslike manner, his voice was both smooth and gentle.

At this point, she didn't know what to expect, after all, she had already caused quite a stir as it was in all of Vvardenfell. Words of what she had accomplished had quickly reached to every corner of the continent. She knew that the stranger already knew the answer, but she wanted to show that she still had her guard up.

"I could be, what do you want?" She asked in a defensive tone.

"I am to bring a message to you from Eno Hlaalu of House Hlaalu." He replied without seeming dissuaded by her attitude. He reached into a pouch that was attached to his side, retrieved a rolled up piece of paper, and held it out to her.

Noe lowered her blade and stared at it for a moment, unsure what to make of the gesture.

"Are you going to take it?" Asked the messenger in a slightly irritated manner.

"Oh...um...yeah." Noe answered, and started to inch her way up to him.

The messenger seemed to be more irritated by her careful and deliberate motion.

"I don't have all day." He sighed while shaking his head in frustration, in all actuality however that was a lie.

"Well, I don't exactly have a reason to trust you." She sneered at him and raised her dagger again.

The stranger took a deep and frustrated breath just before suddenly tossing the scroll up in the air and in one quick motion, drew his katana, and charged forward. Noe had just enough time to block his strike with her dagger just before attempting a counter thrust, however something was amiss. She watched his sword go flying off to the side as if he didn't even have a hold of it, but that's when she perceived another blade right in front of face. The stranger was now standing at her side, almost behind her, with his wakazashi at her cheek. Rayne jumped back after suddenly seeing everything played out faster thens he could have moved.

THUNK!

His primary weapon suddenly stuck in the ground. Noe was amazed at how fast it had all happened, but even more so she was afraid for her life.

"Alright, you _are _the Neraverine." The stranger reached a hand up and caught the scroll as he pulled his blade away from her face. "Otherwise I would have been a bit angry for coming all the way out here."

"WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT!?" Noe shrieked in her high pitched voice.

"I had to make sure you were the real Neraverine." He sheathed his wakazashi. "Which is who I'm supposed to deliver this message to."

He held up the scroll. Noe snatched it from his hand but still had an angry expression on her face.

"HOW DOES WHAT YOU JUST DID TELL YOU WHO I AM!?" She shouted as he smiled.

"Anyone else would have been dead, but you're too quick."

"ME!? You could have killed me if you wanted, how was I too quick?" Noe wasn't yelling as loud, but she was still pissed!

Instead of an answer, the stranger just started laughing as he reached for his other sword.

"What's so funny?" She was now whining.

"You're cute when you're angry." He replied while wiping the dirt off his katana.

"But..." she stopped. "...I don't get it what are you laughing at, and why did you almost kill me just now?"

The stranger took a deep breath while holding his smile.

"It doesn't matter, just read the message so I know if you want to reply or not."

Noe glared at him and slowly broke the seal on the scroll without taking her eyes away.

"Well?" He gestured to the scroll while tilting his head in a matter-of-fact sort of manner.

The Bosmer sighed heavily in frustration, then shifted her gaze to the writing.

Noe,

Your efforts to prove yourself as the Neraverine have caused quite a stir in Vvardenfell. No doubt you have many enemies now because of this, and your life is constantly in danger. Despite all of the rumors, speculation, and condemnations that follow you, I feel that you are very well Lord Neravar reborn. The Temple's hold in Morrowind is weak, and they are desperate. You are bringing a change to this nation in a much bigger way then you yourself probably understand, and in order to survive your journey, you're going to need friends. You've already made friends with most of the ashlander tribes, not to mention the dissident priests who you've brought hope to, but now you've gained a powerful ally to help you with the coming task of appealing to the great houses. Particularly House Hlaalu and most of those who I have influence with. Make your first appeal for Hortator to me, and you will have my vote, and that of a few others by default. There is no doubt in my mind that you understand how the great houses really function, being more political then practical these days. I know that you must have quite a few questions by now about my motives, but don't you can rest assured that my agenda can only benefit you. For now this is all I can say, but I look forward to meeting you in person. If you need my help, then send a courier under the name "Carlota" to hold on to your cover.

--Eno Hlaalu

"Oh," Noe was a bit relived as to the nature of the message and sighed. Looking at the messenger she was surprised to see him petting Rayne who was sitting in front of him offering a paw. "Hmm."

"If you have a reply, I can wait here for you to write." The stranger looked up at her and smiled.

"Alright, would you mind if I had a moment to think first?" She smiled right back, she liked his smile and his blue eyes. After all, he wasn't a bad looking guy, his eyes were shaped a bit strangely though, somewhat life an elf's eyes, but not quite right.

"Take your time." He answered as he turned his attention back to Rayne and shook her paw.

Noe laughed at herself at how fast the mood had changed, a minute ago he had a blade to her face, and now he was petting her companion. The people of Morrowind were very strange indeed. Course she had to admit that she herself was turning a bit strange to the bipolor nature of the people here. As she fetched a quill and a sealed container of ink from her pack, she tried to sneak a glance to the stranger to see if he was secretly eyeing her, but with no such luck. He simply leaned closer to Rayne to let her sniff his face.

She pulled out a sheet of paper and began to write. It took her but a few minutes as she didn't really put much thought into her writing. When she was done she folded it up and reached it out to the stranger.

He looked up from petting her companion and took it from her hand. Noe watched him as he stood up, put it away and started to walk away. She couldn't help but speak up, she just wanted to know.

"Hey," She called out before he made it ten feet. "What's your name?"

He stopped turned back and gave her another blue eyed smile.

"My name is Dio." He answered, he didn't mind revealing his name because he had a feeling that his master was going to be having him meet up with this person again, after his vacation. He turned around and started walking again. Noe understood that he had somewhere he wanted to be, but she wouldn't have minded the conversation if he stayed for a few more minutes.

Noe looked at Rayne who almost seemed to agree.

"Well, he's easy on the eyes, but he's probably taken." She laughed as she reached a hand to pet her.


	16. Chapter 16 For My Virtue

I spent the whole day with Antoinetta wandering through the city, seeing the sights, taking in the scenery and the architecture of the wheel shaped-city. I had all but forgotten about my true purpose there while she showed me around again. This time though she had practically wrapped herself around my arm as we walked. Her playful manner was present, which meant that she was full of energy. That resulted in many piggyback rides as she started to develop a habit of jumping on my back, my only warning would be the soft tap of her shoes as she gave one initial "bounce" to give herself some height. I didn't know if she knew what plyometrics were, but she was doing a good job of applying. It started to dawn on me that this girl was more agile then she was letting on.

After the day passed, I had her stay at the Inn with a copy of a few books that I knew she'd like. I waited till the sun had disappeared over the horizon before I set out toward the waterfront. I had hidden my katana is my set of the priests robes that Antoinetta and I had originally planned to use as our disguise. Letting out a little chuckle to myself as I walked, the thought that our humble "monk" disguise had dissipated into a "happy couple" cover. It was more fitting considering how things had changed between us. As I made my way through the doors that led to the Waterfront district, I realized that I was letting my mind wander. But it snapped to attention when I saw the masts to the Marie Elena out in the distance. I was suddenly on track with what I was doing.

In a few minutes, I was crouched on my perch from the previous night. My eyes back on my target who was pacing around the deck, an almost exact rerun of the events of the night before, well almost...

This time, I didn't just eye him, I loathed him. His mentality in the public eye was no doubt different from the animal that he truly was. Somehow I felt myself hating every part of him, his expensive clothes, the wrinkles on his face, the way he held his hands behind his back as he sauntered around in his own little world surrounded by more of his animals. His crew looked like what they really were, whereas Tussaud had no honor, and tried to use the illicit money he obtained to cover up the sick twisted fiend that made up his being. Just like Lianis Venin. At that thought, my hands twitched and I involuntarily clenched my teeth as a shot of adrenaline raced through my veins. Then my mind came back to Antoinetta, and what he had done to her. For a quarter of an hour I resisted the urge to jump from my perch and kill him right then.

Quietly, slowly, without taking my eyes off my target, I reached both hands up to undo the ties that held my robes in place. The knots were sophisticated, but I knew how to get them apart quickly, and in just a few seconds, the large dark blue cloth fell to the ground, revealing the black, form fitting armor underneath. Suddenly I felt the air around me shift, as my covering was so well ventilated that I could feel even the slightest breeze. If I didn't know any better, I would swear that I was naked. I slid my katana to my back, and shifted the small pouch I had attached to my right side to make sure it would stay in place. _Perfect._

Looking up at my target, a new sense of power started to come over me. I was fully equipped to do what I was there for, without the restriction of heavy armor or gear. _Now all that stands between you and I is just a few seconds to cover the distance...you're going to die tonight._

Almost as if he heard my thought, Tussaud stopped dead in his tracks. Just like a guard dog with it's ears poked up, he started to use his eyes to scan his surroundings only turning his head as needed. I realized that I had just projected my killer intentions onto him, and he was sensitive enough to pick them up. A tiny half smile turned up the corner of my mouth. I took off in a silent run on the top of the wall that I was standing on, looking down I spied the crates that I chose as my entry to the ship. The curvature of the wall let me descend the same way the ball in a game of roulette would as I started to "wall run" down to my intended spot. In a set of carefully timed steps, I made a silent and soft landing that would have made any stage performer green with envy. Taking only a little bit of time to make sure that the shadows still kept me out of sight, I crept up to the crates. To my surprise, I was very much alone. I had almost counted on having to eliminate one or two stray pirates who would probably be slacking off while drinking skooma, but no, there was no one around. _Good_.

I searched for the one crate that I picked out before that was big enough for me to fit in, and was even more surprised at what I had found. The top was half off, and it was empty. I had brought along a pry-bar for the purpose of removing its lid, but it appeared that the work was already done for me. Anyone else would have been suspicious, but instead of looking a gift horse in the mouth, I jumped right on in and slowly slid the top over me. All I had to do then was wait.

In an almost scripted turn of events, I heard footsteps heading my way. The sound of a dying sheep, or an off key singing voice (I couldn't tell the difference at that point) accompanied the steps as they closed in on my hiding place. The song was something about a lady in Wayrest who apparently was a tease to every man who passed her by.

"OOOHHH!!!! I took her out on to the dock and asked how much it would take for her to polish my—"

"Ah, that's now how it goes!" Interrupted a high-pitched male voice.

"What are you talking about!? That's how the Captain sings it!" The pirate with the bad voice defended.

"The hell it is! You mixed the words with the 'Whore of High Rock' again!"

Mentally I thanked the one who shut the other guy up.

"I did not! 'The Whore of High Rock' is a slow song!"

"That you butchered, now quit your singing, you're going to need your breath for this crate, it's a big one." By that time, both voices were on either side of me, so I knew that I picked the right crate that would get me in. "Malvious wants it to be carried down to the brig."

"But why not with all the others?"

"Because she wants this one in the brig, that's why, and you'd best understand her reasoning."

"What!?"

After a few more minutes of them arguing and carrying me, I was more then happy to feel the crate being sat down. I knew that I was down in the bottom of the ship. After letting a few minutes pass for the room to clear, I raised the lid slightly and looked around. There was no one around, and there was almost no light in the room. But thankfully my eyes had adjusted to the darkness in the time I spent in my box, so I had no trouble seeing.

After sliding the lid off quietly I jumped out of the crate and noiselessly landed in a low crouch. There was nothing that could stop me now, but I had to stop for a moment and think about what I was doing.

My whole reason for coming out here, to the Imperial City had been to kill one man. A man who had spent the last few years doing only Akatosh-knows-what to young girls, and making a life off of pirating. But I wondered if I was only turning myself into another murderer. Suddenly a stirring up ahead jolted me out of the contemplation that I was stuck in. It was probably a bad idea to be thinking about anything that could distract me anyway.

I stood still, and turned my head slightly to get a better idea of where it came from. Though it was easy for me to see all the way down to the other side of the cargo area, there were quite a few crates in the way, so whatever was making the noise was hidden from view. Inching closer, I heard it again…it was a cough. A weak muffled cough.

Without a second thought, I guessed what was making the sound, which prompted me to stand up to my full height Taking soft and quiet steps, I made my way down the length of the vessel's underside, to the other side of the crate I heard it from. Though I knew what I was about to see, the sight still made my hair stand on end.

A small girl, lying on her side, curled up in a ball with her legs tucked in for comfort. Like a child, her hands together under her head to try and prop it up in an uncomfortable sleep, which from her little subtle movements betrayed the presence of a nightmare running through her dreams. Silently shivering, with tears running down her face as she slept, I could see a chain leading to a heavy weight. She was wearing a long tattered shirt that not even the humblest of beggars would be caught in, and a pair of pants that were so worn that they were cut off at different lengths on each leg. Beside her was a small little chest that had flies buzzing around it, I didn't have to guess what that was for.. Her black hair was scattered in a mess behind her head, and her eyes were held tightly shut.

A sting shot through my heart at the painful image that I was seeing. I couldn't believe the indignity of it all, and I myself almost began to tremble. A tear formed in my eye as I knelt down beside her. I reached my hand out, and gently laid it on her arm. Her eyes snapped open to meet mine as a small gasp escaped her throat. She trembled even more, but didn't move, not even bothering to struggle to get away from me, which was something I expected her to do. She just looked at me, staring, with eyes full of sadness. I had never really tried to bring comfort to anyone in this kind of state before, and I had not the slightest idea of what to do. My mind raced for an idea, anything…then I noticed that the chains ended in cuffs around her wrists, her hair had almost hidden them from view.

I took a deep breath, and let my words out in a soft whisper:

"What is your name?"

For a moment looked up at me in almost disbelief, confused. Then, slowly her trembling began to calm.

"Sh..Sh…Sharah." She weakly stuttered in a gentle voice.

"Sharah?" I replied with a warm smile. "That's a pretty name."

"I'm s…th..thank you." Sharah accepted the compliment politely, but her eyes were still distant.

"Let me see your wrists." I whispered.

At that order, she wearily sat up on her knees, and with a lowered gaze as if to avoid eye contact, began to hold her hands up, but then suddenly they snagged due to the short length of the chain. She closed her eyes and turned her head. I reached out and pulled the chain along with the weight that it was attached to. Sharah looked up at me but didn't say anything.

I reached up behind my back and drew my Katana, which her eyes suddenly fixated on. With one hand, I laid it down on the links that went between her wrists, and then with the other, brought it down on the middle of the blunt side of the blade, effectively cutting right through the iron restraints as if they were paper. She watched as I then held up her hands, and slipped the blade through the spaces in the cuffs themselves and sliced them right off as well.

I looked back into her eyes, this time; I could see more tears beginning to fall down her cheeks. Her lower lip beginning to quiver as I gently pushed her hair back from her face.

"Count to one thousand, then leave this ship, and never return…understand?" I quietly instructed her. Instead of a nod which I was expecting, she suddenly wrapped her arms around my waist and held on to me tightly. I could hear her sniffle a little.

_This is what I was sent here to do._ I thought to myself. _I'm here to stop this from happening to anyone else._ It made sense, tonight, I was not a murderer, I was here to stand up for someone who lacked the strength to do so themselves. Tussaud was going to face judgment.

I let my hand run through Sharah's hair before I leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"Sharah…I need to go now, but you follow my instructions okay?" She let go of me, leaned back and slowly nodded as her eyes met mine once more. I nodded back to her once before standing up, and slowly climbing up the ladder to the deck above me.

This deck was a bit better lit for obvious reasons, as I made my way to the other side, I could hear a conversation in one of the quarters where two members of the crew were debating.

"I tell ya, she's givin' me the creeps."

"Who is?"

"The girl the Cap has down in the cargo…there's something about her."

"What the hell do ya mean?"

"I mean to say that she's an omen, like she's brought bad luck 'ere."

"What's got ya so worked up about 'er? The Cap's taken girls before, what makes this one different."

"Well, she's a virgin, you know…untouched…"

"What's her bein a virgin have anything to do with luck?"

"I don't know, ya hear about it in stories wif virgins and the like, people sacrifice 'em to gods, magic spells has to 'ave virgin blood…things like that. It worries me that the Cap has one now."

"Yeah, I hear ya, but that's where virgins are used…that don't mean that they're cursed."

"Yeah but…what if…ya know…a witch or a warlock…what if they need a virgin, and they want ours?"

"How would they know we 'ave on board, I mean, we're not exactly showing off now are we?"

"I don't know…maybe they could smell her? They could you know."

"Hmm, you're right, I guess we should be on our guard then huh?"

"Yeah, um…it's…probably best if we do something…"

"What are ya sayin? We can't throw her overboard till were out at sea, and the Cap ain't had his fun wit her yet."

"No…I mean…make her not a virgin no more, only one way to do that."

"Oh…I see what you mean…I say…sounds like a plan to me."

"Yeah, besides, least we can have a little fun with her."

"Yeah, let's get to that…"

I could hear them beginning to get up, and make their way out of their quarters. Their conversation had sealed their fate.

The door to their quarters opened up, and out stepped a Redguard with no shirt on, a full beared and a toothy grin on his face. Right behind him was a Breton with a plot belly that was sticking out from under his shirt, and his hair was turning grey from his age. Neither of them were ready for what happened next.

I leapt from the shadows at a speed that was quick enough to keep them from being able to react, and let the momentum of my body do most of the work as I brought the bottom of my fist right down into a hammerfist strike onto the heart of the Redguard, his eyes went wide as he felt the sting of the blow break his sternum. If the blunt trauma didn't stop his heart, then broken bones would have definitely pierced it. Either way, he was going to die in just a few seconds. He stumbled backward into his friend, and they both fell over.

The Breton had yet to perceive the threat and was having a hard time trying to push his friend off who was now clutching his chest and going into convulsions. I quickly drew my katana and drove it into both of them. A sickening gurgle came from their mouths as they looked up at me and realized that they were not going to live.

"I only regret that I don't have the time to make you two suffer." I growled just before I pulled my blade back and with two more swipes, I severed their heads completely off. The bodies of my victim then went into muscle spasms.

Suddenly someone burst out of their quarters, instantly I recognized Malvilus, she had reached for her sabre, but then stopped when she realized who I was. I would have rushed her, but she didn't make any movements. She was frozen for a few seconds then finally eased her hand away from her blade.

"You're here to avenge her…aren't you?" She asked after taking a deep breath.

I nodded slightly; I figured that I didn't have to explain anything.

"D…Down in the cargo hold there's…---"

"I took care of her restraints, get her out of here." I instructed in a firm yet nonthreatening tone. She nodded and began to walk past me toward the entrance to the cargo hold. As she passed by, I spoke up again.

"Take her to Anvil, at the Brina Cross Inn, ask Christophe to take care of her." She stopped to listen for any more instructions from me. "…tell him Dairou sent you."

I started walking, that gesture would let her know that I had no intention of speaking any further, and that I would be on my way to my real target. I contemplated the idea of killing everyone else who was a part of the crew, but I figured that it would be better to demonstrate to Vicente that I could be subtle.

A few minutes later, I had made my way up through the trap door to the Captin's cabin, a much better alternative then using the direct entrance. I found myself coming up from the corner of the room in front of his bed, which was unoccupied. My movements were soft and quiet as I pulled myself up into his room, there was a doorway that led into what looked like a dining room of some sort, I could see his back was turned to me, which was by far one of the worst places he could have ever been, but he wasn't expecting me. I stood up to my full height and glared at the back of his head.

A change started to overcome me, I felt the adrenaline begin to pump in my body, my breathing began to quicken, but was still quiet, my heartbeat picked up, and my senses heightened. _Now you will face judgment, you worthless son of a ---_

Almost as if he heard me speaking out loud, he jumped up out of his seat and spun around. The instant his eyes met mine, he froze in place. Suddenly everything seemed to slow down, my glare seemed to pump even more fear into him as he turned pale. He now knew that the killer intention he was feeling was mine, and not just out of his paranoia.

"I knew that someone was sneaking about…" He started to feign anger, drew his saber, and growled through his teeth. "What the hell do you want from me!?"

"Isn't it obvious, Gaston?" I drew my katana and started walking forward. "I'm going to kill you. For all of those whom you used and killed, you're about to face justice."

"Justice, ha, I've been able to evade that all my life, and you're not the first goody-goody I've had to kill to do that." He took a stance with his saber, something that resembled the Breton style of fencing that I had all but loathed. With one hand up and behind him, his knees bent, but in a line, and his blade extended to me.

"Your stance is too narrow, your blade is stretched out beyond your control, and your other hand does nothing but keep you from falling over…" I knew he was an experienced fencer, but the problem with fencing was that it relied too much upon a center line, my critique made him raise an eyebrow as I stepped into Kocho no Kamae. "…you're already dead."

"I'll show you how a fencer fights!" Then he lunged, he must have expected me to step back because he overextended himself, and threw his free hand even farther up and back, I deflected his blade off to one side, and took a big step forward and off the center line. His giant step, combined with mine closed the distance easily. My left hand quickly grabbed his throat, and the power of my hand slamming into his windpipe easily took his balance away and he fell backward. I followed him to the ground, and as he slammed onto his back, I used my underarm to hold his weapon arm across my knee, thereby rendering him helpless, and the leverage ended up hyperextending his elbow wtih a sickening crack that caused him to go into shock. He couldn't scream because I had cut off his air supply while still choking him. Instead, he started to gurgle very loudly as he tried to breathe, his eyes wide, and bloodshot as tears started to form.

A small squeal escaped his throat as I leaned forward and put my full weight into my arm to hold him down even harder.

I gritted my teeth as the anger and the hatred in my heart began to find its release.

"This…is…for Antoinetta Marie." I snarled as I let go of my blade, letting it fall to the ground. I released his now broken arm and let my right hand join in causing him pain. With all my strength I started to crush his throat, his tongue began to stick out from his mouth as I felt his windpipe began to break under the sheer strength of my grip as I kept tightening it. Finally an even louder snap told me that he would no longer breathe again. I let go with both hands and stood up, he started trembling, his face turning blue as he tried to gasp for air that wouldn't come with both hands around his throat, and his feet started kicking wildly as he could feel the life struggling to leave his now useless body. I picked up his saber and examined it for a moment.

All the weight was too far up to be controlled, the hand guard would never allow for a firm grip, and its decorations were only that, decorations. In all the years of training, I was never fond of anything that wasn't balanced like a katana. In my mind, there was no other blade that was really designed to do what it was intended.

"Junk." I said out loud as I thrust it down onto his stomach, pinning him down to the floor. He jerked as it penetrated his spinal cord and blood began to leak from his wound. After picking up my weapon and returning it to its sheath, I made my way to the door on the other side of his table and looked back. He had finally stopped twitching; his soul was now off to whatever hell was waiting for him. Inside, I hoped that the vengeful spirits of the poor young girls would be able to torture him for eternity.

I pushed the door open to see the balcony that Antoinetta told me about, took a few big steps and jumped off the edge. I would have landed with a splash, but while I was in the crate, I had ingested my water walking potion that I had bought from the alchemists shop earlier. Instead, I landed in such a weird way, the moment I hit the surface, the water did give way, but it was more like a spongy resistance rather than a hard landing like I was expecting. It was like I was standing on a giant bed…that kind of…rippled. I quickly pushed my surprise aside and took off running toward the shore out in the distance. I had no intention of being in the waterfront for the rest of the night. Besides, Antoinetta and I were going to have to leave…and soon.

Somewhere in Vvardenfell, a beautiful young wood elf named Samia was leaving The Halfway Tavern in Pelagaid at the end of her shift. She didn't quite enjoy serving drinks but the tips were a lot better than any other place she worked. But the smell, and the sexual harassment from the drunks was almost not worth it. On the way home, she kept her hand on her side; in the folds of her clothes she concealed a small tanto that her love had given her. Morrowind was always a dangerous place, but as of late things were getting hectic. The Tribunal Temple was ready to accuse just about anyone of being a heretic and take them away, on top of that, there was talk of people being referred to as the "Sixth House" hiding in dark places and kidnapping anyone who happened to wander alone.

When Samia finally could see her house, she stopped dead in her tracks. There was a light in her window, and on her doorknob there was a small ribbon that was loosely tied. Her lips curled up into a pleasant smile and she started moving again, this time at a trot. He was here.

She quickly took the ribbon off and rushed in to be greeted by the sight of her lover sitting on her bed smiling up at her.

"Dio!" Samia exclaimed as she flung herself into his waiting arms. It had been almost a month since she had last seen him, and this was a very pleasant surprise. "It's so nice to see you again!"

"I've missed you." Dio replied.

"I missed you too; I was beginning to get worried." The pretty little Bosmer repeated.

"You know me, love. Nothing can take me down." He nuzzled her gently as she reached up to kiss his cheek.

"I thought that you were going to be working a lot more after all the news that's been traveling around." Samia knew that Dio did quite a bit of dangerous work, and that some of it involved fighting, topped with a lot of secrecy.

"Well, as it turns out, I might be needed a little bit more, but not for quite a while, I've been given the next month off." As he explained this to her, her smile began to widen and she held him even tighter. That would go to become the longest that he had ever stuck around without interruption.

Though she couldn't know anything about his true occupation, she understood that when Dio said he would stay for a certain number of days, he never missed. A courier would arrive once in a while to inform him of when he would be needed, but if he said that he would be there a week, then his stay would be a week. He didn't always get to tell her when he would be back, but he never spent more than a few weeks. This was a man that she knew she could count on, and one who had made her very happy when he did come around. She had a weakness for his bright blue eyes, and his warm smile.

Samia was one of Dio's best kept secrets, no one other then Eno Hlaalu from the Morag Tong knew about her. It was better that way, not just for Dio's sake, but for the good of the entire guild. Such romantic relations in any way were very much discouraged for the Tong's assassins because of the high possibility of being exploited. There was actually quite a long history of members of the Morag Tong having wives in secrecy. But there were also many stories of those who kept such acquaintances finding them dead, but the need for affection was not something that even the most cold hearted of assassins were immune to.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry about the cutoff being so quick. But I needed to get an update out. I've been meaning to go back and completely rewrite the first few chapters. I have a lot less time nowadays, but I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Oh, and if this chapter makes you think that I don't like French style fencing, you'd only be half right.


	17. Chapter 17 When the Gears Begin to Turn

It was a very bright night in Cheydinhal. Both moons were shining brightly, the stars were shimmering like millions of small diamonds spilled onto the backdrop of the inky dark blue sky. Not a cloud in sight, no hint of bad whether. In contrast to the well lit streets, there was almost no one wandering about save for a single watchman who carried a lamp. Perferring to save the wicks for his attachment, he didn't seem to feel the need to light it and let it casually rest on his side dangling with a gentle rustling against his leg as he walked. I watched him from afar on a rooftop as he did his laps around the town with his is eyes straightforward, rather then constantly scanning the area around him, which gave away his inexperiance. Once a solider has been in a battle, even just once, he knows to never let his guard down, even for an instant as long as he's on duty. Such a habit that would follow him for the rest of his life. It was something that you would be able to tell from his eyes, and this one had the eyes of a boy who had likely never seen blood, possibly had never been in a fight.

He looked to be about as old as me, but much taller. He had dark brown hair that drooped around his shoulders, and bright blue eyes that would make any young maiden fall in love. Mentally I envied him for his good looks, but then I smiled to myself at the thought of how a fight between him and I would end up. His perfect face would win a woman's heart, but it wouldn't give him an advantage in combat. If anything, it would have suddenly become a target to anyone who wanted to be the first to leave a scar on an untouched mug. Truthfully, it's not him I hated, it was the mentality in his walk. His skill was nothing, nothing compared to the hard earned experience I had gained through my years of training.

The night that Antoinetta and I made it back to the sanctuary, I realized how easily I'd won every single confrontation in open combat that I had been in. When I first ran away from the farm, I managed to kill a goblin by myself, putting him on the ground even before drawing my sword. Then the rogue soldiers on the road to Anvil, the bandit camp I accidentally ran up on, the ambush on the way to Cyrodiil, and killing Tussaud in just a step and a half. All of it was much easier then having to spar Jauffre at Weynon Pryory.

"Too easy..." I whispered to myself at the thought of my training with my former master. I tried to pull my thoughts away from those days, but it did no good. Soon my mind was reminiscing again.

"Remember, I'm training you harder then is needed, but never let go of what you learn here." He would tell me before he would have me rest for those nights. Deep down, I wondered if he would be proud of me for how well I could use my katana, or if my father would...yes...my father. He was right. The last thing he told me was that I was a far better then I saw myself. It finally made sense now.

Tilting rearward, I let myself fall gently onto my back, and looked up at the stars. Reality was starting to seem like a blur to me now. As I kept tracing over the events of the last month and a half, everything felt like a dream. I came back to the memory of finding my father dead in our house with no emotion. My heart didn't even jump. It was like it didn't happen at all. I had killed more people then I could count on both hands, and it didn't phase me anymore. Not even a small curiousity of what their lives were like before I took that all away.

Either it was all a dream, or it was just that I kept coming back to the denial stage of me trying to cope with all I'd been through. Just a few days ago, I was in tears, trying to hold on to everything that I had lost, knowing full well that I couldn't go back. Wondering what all had happened when I left. I felt the green necklace that I still wore roll off of my chest and land with a gentle tap beside my neck. Elona...I had let her go so easily, just to make room for Antoinetta.

"What's happening to me?" I asked out loud. The me that was laying there looking up at the stars was not the same me that I knew before. I wanted to feel sadness again, but I couldn't even muster up tears. It felt like all emotion was gone, I wasn't so sure it that was only temporary or I was really just someone who I would have been afraid of long ago. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. I could hear the sounds of someone climbing up to the top of the roof I was on. I didn't bother jumping up, drawing my blade, or doing anything about it, as there was really only one way to this particular rooftop, and only certain people who could get here.

"It's a beautiful night isn't it?" Antoinetta asked me when she finally made it up.

I opened my eyes to meet hers, then everything changed.

Her beautiful smile suddenly brought everything back. My heart skipped a beat, the adrenaline started to course through my body, and I started to get chills. I smiled in return, after all, the feeling of vulnerability that she brought me was a welcome reminder that I wasn't completely numb. Opening my arms up, I gestured for her to join me as I lay upon my back, which she did with enthusiasm. Her body lay half covering mine with her head on my chest, her hand just in front of her chin, and one leg entangled with mine. The close contact felt so warm and relaxing, that I couldn't stop myself from speaking up.

"I love you." I whispered with a smile while my hand began to make its way through her long blond hair.

"I love you too." She replied, then lifted her head up to give me a gentle kiss on the lips before returning to it's resting place.

For a few minutes, the only noise was our breathing save for whatever little stirring that came from the occasional footsteps in the streets below. I knew she was listening to my heartbeat, which made me smile as I let my eyes close back up.

"Dairou..." She whispered softly.

"Yes."

"What are you thinking about?" She nuzzled my chest a little, tightened her grip on me for a moment, then relaxed.

"You." I whispered and kissed her forehead.

"Really?" A small chuckle escaped her as she wrapped her arm around me completely.

"Yes, really."

"All this time you were up here?"

I answered with honesty.

"Well...not quite, but you did save me from some unpleasant memories. Thank you."

"You're welcome." She inched her face a bit closer to mine. "Thank you for saving me."

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

All the way across Cyrodiil, in the small chapel known as Weynon Pryory, sitting back in his chair with his hands folded across his chest with the only light being from the window, Jauffre was struggling to come up with an explanation to Emperor Urial Septim over the matter of Dairou's disappearance. He had recieved a message sent from the Imperial City itself demanding his presence before the Emporer. The text was coded to appear as if it were a formal request on the part of the Census Office to "clarify a few sensitive matters" with the Imperial Cult. But that really meant 'GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!"

It was pretty obvious that things were not going to go over so well, especially with half of the empire looking for the poor boy. Septim was going to throw a fit and complain about losing his most valuable asset to the empire. While Juaffre knew that Dairou would gladly have taken the position that was really waiting for him, it would have been an indignity. Septim wanted Dairou to carry out the tasks that had to be done in secret when failure was something that wasn't even fathomable, especially when it called for someone of the utmost loyalty. But Septim wouldn't care about anything beyond that. He wouldn't care about what killing would do to the poor boy, nor would he ever think of his own loves and likes, no, Dairou's interests were never thought of. The sad and painful truth was that Dairou was always meant to be an assassin, never a bodyguard for the emperor, and his membership in the blades was only a decent cover story that fooled all but a two people: Juaffre, and Septim. Everything had all been planned out, over the course of his life, even down to whom he was going to marry.

At the thought of how cruel and imposing those plans were, he clenched his fist. He spent a lifetime helping his father raise him. Teaching him everything from how to slip quietly through the forest with the ground covered in dried leaves, to how to effectively make a rope restraint without the use of a knot. But more importantly, he taught him a code of ethics. The idea that most Imperial Soldiers carried was along the lines of some outdated and archaic idea of the empire being made for the greater good and promoting order amongst all of Tamriel. Jauffre taught him the truth, that the empire was just an idea. An idea that helped keep people united across vast distances. While Septim himself had much influence, ultimately he was still not in as much control as everyone believed.

Politics was a war that just didn't know when to end. There had been no real notable conflicts since the years of Jagar Thorn, but a certain rot that peace brings gives time for instability to grow in a lot of small regions. People begin to no longer pay attention to who's in charge if there is no mess they have to clean up, and counts and countesses forget how to fight wars. The enemy of patriotism in most aspects is tranquility. While people enjoyed times of peace, no one ever remembered the leaders of those kinds of days. Morrowind was beginning to show signs of crumbling as rumors of infighting began to build. But that was another matter...

Jauffre got up and sauntered across the room to a bookshelf that stood against the wall. Reaching up and pulling out the rightmost book noiselessly released a secret latch, and all that was needed was a gentle push inward to open up a door behind it to a secret room in the back. Once inside, there was a small room that was a huge contrast to what a simple priest should own. One wall had a rack with many katanas, daggers, and other Akaviri style weapons that only members of the blades would know how to use.

On the opposite wall was a single row of books, twenty to be exact. After closing the door behind him, the grandmaster picked up the one on the farthest right, and opened it up. Each book was labled with a year, and ended at the current. He sat the book down on a desk under the shelf, pulled up a chair, and started writing.

Though he didn't have a whole lot to write, it took him almost an hour to finish. The entry was a rewrite of the message from the Imperial City, and a translation of what it really meant. Followed up with: "Still haven't seen Dairou."

Real warfare is always filled with deception and half truths, and this partial lie, partial truth of not 'seeing' is what saved the young man, or may be what ultimately gives Juaffre a death sentance. Though the grandmaster had seen many good people die in combat, Dairou had the heart of a true warrior, and a strong sense of justice. At least that's what he hoped the boy still had. He knew that before this crisis was over, Dairou would end up confronting him, and it would either save him, or cause the student to kill the master. Either way was fine by the old man, just as long as Dairou stayed true to himself and his honor.

"I swear, if you were my son..." He whispered as he closed the book, then left the room closing the door behind him. "

000000000000000000000000000000000000

Mordous was angry, VERY angry...in fact...furious! Course, even that was an understatement. Not only was there no sign of Dairou anywhere in the Highlands, but no one had reported seeing him anywhere in the places he was supposed to have ran to. After the incident with the Innkeeper, it seemed like no one took him seriously anymore. Not as a soldier, not even as a man. Being severely beaten down by an unarmed old man made him the laughing stock of the town despite the tragedy of the recent events.

As he patrolled his hometown, he couldn't help but notice that no one ever made eye contact with him. Normally that was expected, as no one likes to stare into an Imperial Solider's eyes, but not even the occasional traveler would stop and ask him for directions. It was almost like his dignity was just as gone as the Dikata boy's presence, and everyone knew it. Once in a while as he passed a crowd of people talking, he would note that they became silent if any of them took notice to him. Then when they thought he was out of earshot, a few of them would start laughing. Yep, he was no longer respected at all.

But today his luck would change.

"Mordous?" A gentle male voice called out to him from across the street. "Callous Mordous."

The soldier looked in the direction of whom was addressing him to be greeted by a young man of about the same age, medium build with blond hair that was tied back under his three point hat, dressed in fancy clothes that were definitely bought from the Imperial City.

"Who wants to know?" He asked with a pessimistic tone as the lad came up to him with a hand held forward.

"Cameran Venin, Lianis Venin's nephew." The young man answered with a smile as he shook his hand. "I believe you and I have some matters of mutual interest to talk about."

"Possibly, but I've been put on the day watch as you can see. I'm sorry about what happened to your uncle, but I can't help you." He was in no mood to get involved with the Venin family. Controversy surrounded everything they touched, and right now, Mordous was not ready to start a whole new set of problems.

"I understand, but please, hear me out, I think you'll want to hear what I have to say." Cameran insisted.

"Didn't I just tell you that I can't help you?" The Soldier repeated.

"I heard that, but you don't know for sure what it is I need your help with." Venin tried to make himself sound reasonable, but his tone of voice betrayed a hint of frustration. Most of the Venin's were not used to not having their way, or being told off, which is why the message didn't seem to reach Cameran's mind.

"...and I don't want to know either. If you're here to laugh at me, or make jokes, then go ahead, I've heard all of them already." Mordous was able to keep a firm tone, but the part about jokes being made was the part that crippled him on the inside, even if he was the one who said it, it was almost too much to have his reputation destroyed so early in his career by something everyone found funny.

"I know you would never look out for my interests, but that's not what I want, course, if you want to do watch duty for the rest of your life...that's fine by me." Cameran sighed.

Mordous was no fool, he knew immediately that the Venin name being overly infulential in the west meant that Cameran would see to it that he never be allowed to advance in rank again. He sighed, gritted his teeth.

"What do you want?"

"Just a certain matter taken care of, and I think you know what I mean." He answered as a devious smile started to spread across his face.

"I'm already combing the city, and it's outskirts, I don't think that the Dikata boy is going to ever come back, if he's not left by ship, he's on the other side of the country."

"True, which is why I think you'll like my offer, after all we both want him, I have the ways you have the means."

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Martin prayed alone in the Chapel that sat in the middle of Kvatch. He was really the only priest in town, and was the only one who ever really gave services. Not that anyone ever attended. Which meant that he himself never really got the chance to speak in front of a large audience. But that was fine with him, as long as it was nice and quiet, and gave him more time to dedicate to his studies. He heard the knob to the front door turning and turned around to see Anita slowly making her way in. She wore a simple brown cloak that made her look very much like some of the poorer folk in Kvatch, which was a huge contrast to the way Lianis used to make her dress. She looked around a moment before noticing Martin.

"Hello, Anita." He greeted her with a polite smile.

"H...hello Martin." She stuttered as she walked with tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Are you alright? Have you come to grieve?" The priest to Akatosh asked.

"No...I...I need to talk to you about something." Anita's voice quivered as she drooped her eyes to the floor. "It's about my husband's death."

"Oh, well, whatever it is, I'm here for you. I'm sorry about what happened." Brother Martin put a hand on Anita's shoulder to try and comfort her.

"There's something I need to show you." She started to gain strength, almost as if it were caused by Martin's touch. "Something that I can't hide any longer. Lianis isn't around to buy my silance with death threats anymore."

"Alright...what is it?"

Minutes later, Martin found himself on the front steps to the Venin manner.

"It's down in the basement." she whispered, almost as if to hide her words from the world while they went through the front door. Anita took a lamp from a shelf, lit it on a nearby candle, and led him to the front door of the basement.

There was an awkward silance in the air, as Anita looked up put her hand on the knob, turned her gaze up at Martin with a sad look in her eyes, then pushed the door open. The two of them quietly made their way downstairs at the slow pace that Anita set. It was almost completely dark, as there was no light from the outside to be let in, just a glow from the middle aged woman's lamp which did enough as far as lighting the way. The old woman then came to an abrupt stop, almost causing the young priest to bump into her.

"Alright, what did you want me to see?" Martin asked in a whisper almost as if he were afraid to disturb the silance.

The widow began to sob and held up a trembling finger pointing to a particular corner of the basement. Martin squinted to try and see through the blackness but to no avail. Then almost as if on que Anita held up the lamp to compensate for the darkness.

What Martin saw made his eyes go wide, and the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. There was no need for an explanation, the materials for the ritual were all laid out.

"By the Nine Divines!" He exclaimed. "He...prayed to the Night Mother!"


End file.
